The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd
by Asmodeus1389
Summary: The Celestial Herd is full of stories, and they are recorded, like all tales, in the Balinor Chronicles.
1. Battles Fought, Games Played

The Balinor Chronicles

Chapter One: Battles Fought, Games Played

This Chapter is Dedicated to ChaosTheory007.

The Supreme Ruler and Dark One have always fought each other. Their reason for their fight has long been forgotten, and now only the two immortals themselves know why they continue to fight. But fight they do, and sometimes their actions affect us in the Mortal Realms.

Their ongoing war can be compared to the battle of the day and the night. Twice a day, the two battle each other. At dusk, the night wins the fight, and the world is cloaked in darkness. But, as the daylight retreats, it leaves behind spies: the stars and the moon, to keep the mortals from getting lost in the darkness. At dawn, the two sides battle again. This time day wins, and the night is forced to retreat, leaving behind bits of itself as shadows.

Always, this continues, neither side able to defeat the other. But sometimes, in the day's haphazard rush to retreat, it forgets to leave behind the moon. Every 29 days, the moon fails to appear. On this night, the Heir of Diablo, his minions, and the ways of the Dark One are the most powerful.

Most have now forgotten the true meaning of fear on the Night of the Shifter's Moon. Now, it is just a time to stay up late and tell ghost stories in an attempt to frighten those around you. But you see my friend, evil never dies, for without it, how can we have goodness and righteousness? Wouldn't it be impossible to know good if evil had never existed?

So the Sentinels will keep an extra close watch and the Firstwalkers will be extra wary of the shadows, but the children and storytellers will stay up late, and these my friend, these Balinor Chronicles are the tales that they tell.


	2. The Igdrasil

Chapter Two: The Igdrasil

This Chapter is dedicated to Talkofthetowneva4. This is only appropriate, seeing as how I essentially nicked this entire chapter from her. So for a probably better written version, go read her story, The Test of Time. I could not have written the Chronicles without first reading her story.

* * *

In the beginning of time, when the Supreme Ruler first started fighting the Dark One, the Igdrasil, the three original beings of the world, came forth. One was Diablo, the doer who cared only for power. Another was Sirani, the dreamer who could spend days dreaming about beings that did not exist. The last and the youngest of the three was known only as Mare. The Mare was pure, taking the shape now known as a unicorn. It was she who was the favorite of the Supreme Ruler.

The three Igdrasil lived in a Valley, nestled in between the mountains. The Valley was a special place, protected from the harsh worlds surrounding it and acting as a gateway to the stars. The Igdrasil lived alongside each other in a cave, content in their ways, glad to be with each other. Anything that they needed was provided for them by the Valley.

The Igdrasil were immortal, and so passed many centuries in their cave in the Valley. Diablo was concerned with doing great things; Sirani could spend days in her dreams; and the Mare just was. They all were happy, living in a place that was paradise. Until one day, when Diablo vanished.

He just disappeared, and left no clue as to where he had gone. Sirani and the Mare were worried, and spent days combing the Valley and the surrounding mountains. But it was all in vain, and Diablo was never found. The Mare and Sirani eventually returned to their cave, saddened by the loss of their friend, but unable to do anything else. Centuries passed without Diablo, and, eventually, Diablo passed out of all mind and thought. Sirani and the Mare continued living in the cave as if nothing had happened.

One evening, when Sirani and the Mare were coming into the cave, they stopped dead in their tracks. Diablo had returned. Next to the Igdrasil, was a being that looked almost identical to Diablo: it had the same lanky build and the same hairless body. It was called man, and had the same lust for gold and power that Diablo had. Sirani and the Mare could not believe their eyes. Diablo saw the looks of surprise on his friend's faces and began to explain.

Diablo had gone to the Supreme Ruler to ask for others of his kind, so that Diablo could rule over beings that were similar to him. The Supreme Ruler, disliking Diablo's power hungry nature, denied his request, and so the Igdrasil sought out the Dark One. The Dark One, always looking for servants and ways to combat the Supreme Ruler, granted Diablo's wish and created an entire world full of man. Diablo then invited Sirani and the Mare to come with him to the Dark One, for the god would grant their wished as well. Sirani and the Mare refused, and Diablo could not get them to reconsider. The former Igdrasil and his Man departed from the Valley.

After Diablo had gone, Sirani and the Mare conferred with each other. Sirani then departed to go to the Supreme Ruler to have her dreams become real. The Supreme Ruler granted Sirani's wish and her creations populated the world of man in order to fight his evil. Neither Sirani nor Diablo ever returned to the Valley.

So the Mare, the last of the Igdrasil, lived alone in the Valley. The Supreme Ruler grew concerned for his favorite being. She, the one that he loved above all others was alone, and had never asked for any of her dreams to come true. The Supreme Ruler went to the Mare and asked what her heart desired. He went away with out any great revelation, and the Mare was left alone. Still fearing for the Mare's well being, the Supreme Ruler surprised the Mare with six spectacular Stallions, all brothers, each representing a different color and element.

The eldest was Solaris, the Golden and the Stallion of Stars and the Heavens. Hephaestus, the bronze and silver Stallion of Metal was the second oldest, followed by Mulciber, the red Stallion of Fire. There was also the brown Stallion of Earth, Terrenus. The youngest were the twins, Aeoleus, the blue-white Wind, and Orcinus, the blue-black Water. In turn, they all bred with the Mare, to create a magnificent herd. But each element lived in its own separate section of the Valley, and they were fiercely territorial. But, as white will never change the painter's color, every unicorn in the element's herds was the same color and had the small build as the founding Stallion to whose herd they belonged. Eventually, the Stallions stopped breeding with the Mare, and instead only breed with the mares in their herds. Still, only the pure colors existed.

One night the Mare had a dream. She dreamed of the sun shining down upon a giant rainbow. But, the Mare realized, the Rainbow was comprised solely of unicorns. Upon waking, the Mare knew what she had to do.

She spent the next few years hard at work, creating chance meetings and causing romances to blossom. Stallions from the Sun herd meet with mares from the Water herd, and a Metal colt snuck into the woods to play with the Wind filly who had become his best friend. The next spring, the normal colts and fillies were born, but there were also some greens and teals and purples mixed in with the herds.

And the Mare continued her work.

At first the mixed colored unicorns were abused and a kicked out of the herds. But soon there became many different colored unicorns, as the purples mated with teals, and the oranges bred with the greens. As the number of the different colored unicorns grew, they eventually became accepted into the other herds. And one day, the Mare led the separate herds into the main valley, and they became the rainbow herd that she had dreamed would rule the valley.

The Mare retreated to the cave that she had once lived in, and Solaris took over leading the herd. The Herd got its name from him, and the Valley got its name from the herd. The Celestial Valley to this day is populated only by the unicorns of that name. Though they are immune to disease and long lived, the Unicorns do eventually die to prevent the Celestial Herd from growing too large for the Valley. The only way for them to lose this half immortality is to venture into the Mortal Realms and be slain or live out a normal aged life in the Mortal lands.


	3. The Seashore

The Balinor Chronicles

Chapter Three: The Seashore

This Chapter is Dedicated to Talkofthetowneva4

* * *

Although most common knowledge of the Herd starts with the Rule of Solaris, we are not here to listen to commonly heard tales. The Tales of the Celestial Stars really begins with two special unicorns in particular.

Derecho was a rather average colt of Terrenus's Herd. His coat was a red-brown, so closely resembling the clay found far beneath the soil. His mane and tail were pale brown, almost the color of dry, dead pine needles. His hooves and horn were formed of granite and the gem that resided on his forehead was. His brilliant Earth colors drew the eyes of Terrenus, and Derecho enjoyed the subsequent doting attention from the Elemental Stallion. Most of the time, anyway.

Unfortunately for Derecho's mother, the dirt brown Terran, Derecho was at the stage in which the colt begins to grow away from his mother, but is not quite old enough to be weaned, despite the foal's thought on the matter. This, combined with his inquisitive nature, made Derecho quite a hoofful for his mother.

Now, when you are young, but think you are wise beyond your years, you will of course test your limits, and do try to do things without a nagging dam at your side. For a colt, of course, the one thing you want to do is get away from your mom and have an adventure. There is no better place for adventure than an old forest, with tall trees, climbing vines and spooky shadows.

Naturally, Derecho had been warned about going into the woods – Terrenus's Herd always stayed on this side, and who knows what a unicorn from another Herd would do to you if they found you, and the woods are too big and you too small and you're sure to be lost in them. Most foals needed no more then these routine admonishments to stay away from the dark and imposing woods.

But if Derecho had listened to his mother, then there would be no story.

The colt carefully picked his way through the knee deep grasses. Every now and then he would look around to make sure that no one was following him or looking at him. He really needn't have worried. All the other unicorns were too busy grazing to pay attention to a lone foal on the edge of the forest (I bid you remember that most foals are terrified of the forest, and wouldn't dream of marching into it), and Terran was thoroughly and totally convinced that her son was still inside the Forsythia bush on the other side of the Meadow. So no one noticed the lone clay colored foal sneak into the shadows, and so no one was particularly alarmed when the foal didn't come out of the shadows.

Now you must be wondering if the Unicorns cared at all for their own. Well, of course they did, but the foals are constantly playing hide and seek and are never in the same spot for a long enough time to get a horn count on them. So the counts were taken at the end of the day, and Derecho planned to be back long before then. This was just a short trip into the woods, after all.

Enchanted forests are wonderful places to explore. The trees are so tall that they hold up the sky; the vines so numerable that they tie the trees to the ground; the shadows so spooky that you frighten yourself half to death before you realize that horrendous monster is just an ugly bush. And Derecho loved it. Now Derecho realized that all the trees looked the same, so he did a very intelligent thing that most young foals wouldn't have thought of: He walked parallel to the tree line, rather than going deeper into the woods. This enabled him to constantly keep the haven of the meadow in sight at all times.

Derecho was romping along, enjoying looking down every hole he came to when the thunder storm started. Or, at least anyway, Derecho thought that it was a thunder storm. A branch on a particularly old tree had died and finally snapped off, falling right in front of Derecho. Following the usual fight-or-flight reaction, Derecho took off in the opposite direction – leading him right into the thickest part of the woods.

A few minutes and several trees later, Derecho pulled up to a stop, and realized he had no clue where he was. He whinnied for his dam only to here his whinnies echo, echo, echo back at him. So Derecho wandered lost in the forest, until he caught a glimpse of another unicorn in the woods. He ran after the unicorn, calling for the snow white mare to slow down so that he could catch up. But the white mare stayed ahead, and when Derecho entered a small clearing, all he saw at first was a large white marble rock.

His second glance revealed a small filly standing knee-deep in the stream. She was a pale blue, with a slightly darker mane and tail. Overall, she was the same color as the stream, and with a pale sapphire stone and crystal hooves she looked like the river goddess. Her name was Izquierda, and she was one of the favored fillies of the Herd of Orcinus. Being a water creature, she had followed the stream deeper and deeper into the woods, and was now looking at the first creature she had ever seen that was not from the Herd of Orcinus. Unfortuantely, weeks of being brought up a proper young Orcinus filly had taken its toll"

"What _are_ you doing here? This stream belongs to Orcinus," Izquierda started, and would have continued, had Derecho not interrupted her. "What am _I_ doing here? What are _you_ doing here? These rocks belong to Terrenus."

The two stood there staring at each other before Derecho gave a sheepish grin. "We do sound kind of silly, don't we?" Izquierda snorted. "Yeah, the Aoeleans, they live just on the other side of us, they claim the whole Valley just 'cuz its all covered with air."

The duo was silent for a moment, and Izquierda stared at the rocks in the stream. "Ya know, we could share it."

"Share?"

"Yeah, you know, we could both own it."

Derecho stared stupidly at her for a minute, then glanced at the rocks and the stream.

"Sharing sounds good."

As I am sure you, the listener of this tale can presume, the friendship between Derecho and Izquierda took off. As the pair grew, their comradeship turned into friendship, and their friendship into love. They meet often by the stream, and soon knew the woods like their own homes. They were careful not to let their friends know where exactly they went to every other day, and they lived for those moments alone with each other. Derecho had turned into a fine young stallion, envied by all the others his age, for the attention from Terrenus meant that Derecho could have almost any mare he wanted in the herd.

Now, as Izquierda grew older, she became more agile, more graceful, more beautiful. Her pale coat color drew the attention of Orcinus, and with the wisdom that comes with age, Izquierda knew that when her dam consented and allowed her to chose a mate, Orcinus would be the first in line. And who can say no to the leader of the herd?

So with this in her mind, Izquierda met Derecho in the woods that day, and with this in her mind she asked him to be her mate, and with this in her mind they did the sort of thing that you need a stallion and a mare to do right.

Derecho, when he left the meadow, left behind his best friend, Tourmaline. Tourmaline, was not stupid, but he was the kind of unicorn who would do anything that was asked of him by Derecho, and he was incredibly loyal. However, on this day, his curiosity had finally gotten the better of him, so Tourmaline followed Derecho into the woods, and Tourmaline saw Derecho meet a pretty young mare, and Tourmaline knew that some things were best kept a secret. So Tourmaline stayed in the background and watched.

Izquierda left behind her best friend, Mariah, and her older brother, Corundum. Corundum was very protective of his beautiful younger sister and was concerned with where she went so often. Mariah felt abandoned, for she was the type of unicorn that always needs someone by her. So Mariah and Corundum followed Izquierda, and they saw her meet with a handsome brown stallion and they was what happened nest.

Now, Corundum, as I believe I have mentioned earlier, was perhaps almost overprotective and, in his mind, saw a Terrenus Stallion rape his little Izquierda. So Corundum dropped his head and prepared to charge, and his glittered ominously.

As fate would have it, a small breeze blew. Derecho and Izquierda were too preoccupied to notice the scent on the breeze, but Tourmaline did, and Tourmaline was a true and loyal friend. So Tourmaline did what needed to be done and leapt out and charged Corundum himself.

War, and fights had never been in the Valley before. No blood had ever been drawn, and the thought of using the horn as a weapon had never happened before now. But it is easier to get up to a charging speed with your head down, and it occurred to Corundum that his horn was very sharp, and so was a splinter, so his horn would have the same effect on this naughty Brown as a splinter would have on your skin. Tourmaline merely copied Corundum, and I'm sure you can guess what happened from there.

Two pieces of rock, each traveling at 30 miles per hour and over 500 pounds of pure muscle behind them will collide at a speed of over 60 miles per hour with a combined pressure of over 1000 pounds of muscle. This much force, meeting at a sharpened point can have a very damaging effect and for the first time, blood was spilt in the Valley.

Mariah saw everything and ran to Orcinus; Derecho and Izquierda quickly guessed what happened and just ran. Unfortunately, nothing in the Valley is faster than an Elemental Stallion, and they didn't get too far before Orcinus showed up.

Despite the protestation of Terrenus, Orcinus exiled Derecho to the Mortal Realms, or more specifically, the land of the Mortal Realms. Orcinus took Izquierda back and placed her beside him as his mate.

And as rumors fly faster than the wind, all the Herds talked and wondered. Wondered who was right and who was wrong. Wondered if love was worth lives. Wondered if blood was now the only way to fix things. Wondered if it would happen again. Wondered if they two had learned their lesson….

But love cannot be broken, so when Orcinus, Lord of the Sea, drops his head to graze, Izqueirda sneaks away and nuzzles Derecho, who has all four hooves planted firmly on land. Their loving embrace cannot last long, for as Orcinus lifts his head to see where his favorite mare went, Izquierda must slip back to his side. And as Time progressed, for it even marches in the Valley, Izquierda bore a colt. Derecho's colt.

Surfdancer was a firey chestnut, with a mane that was a pale color that had almost a green tinge to it. His gem was a pearl and his hooves and horn were coral. He runs ahead of his mother to meet his father, and tries to linger behind before running off behind his dam.

Even today, this meeting of Earth and Sea is called the Seashore, and the waves retreat back to Orcinus's side. The oceans are full of the lover's tears. The substance called Seafoam still rides in before the waves and lingers on land and is considered the truest mixture of earth and water that ever existed.


	4. Tarnished Air

The Balinor Chronicles

Chapter Four: Tarnished Air

This Chapter is dedicated to horsefeathers75.

* * *

Not long after the tragic tale of Izquierda and Derecho, or perhaps even at about the same time, another two unicorns fell to the Mare's trap of romance. This time, there were two different herds, two different ranks, and several different places.

Eneusis a younling from the Herd of Hephaestus. His liquid silver mane contrasts with his deep bronze coat and gives the appearance of a dark brown unicorn with a white mane, from a distance. He has bronze hooves and a bronze horn with a piece of tortoiseshell as a gem. It is a nice look overall. He is weaned, playful, and pretends not to miss his dam, even though he does. But Thaya doesn't know that last part; she just knows what he looks like as she hides behind a small outcropping of rock.

Thaya is from the Herd of Aeoleus. She is neither pretty nor graceful and ran away from home as soon as she could. Her pale blue coat is the color of the sky on a hot summer day, and her mane and tail form the clouds, both in color and in fluffiness. Her marble hooves and horn aren't graceful, but they add a certain touch to the lump of turquoise that serves as her jewel. She has been watching the Herd of Hephaestus for a while, but she's still not sure if they'll accept her. Her logic had told her to run to Orcinus, being Aeoleus's twin and all, he ought to take her in, but after the whole Derecho and Izquierda scandal, Thaya doesn't want to go there. So she waits and watches and hopes that no one sees her hiding behind the outcropping of metal-rich stone.

The Herd of Hephaestus lives, like all Herds, in a meadow, but theirs is located at the base of mountain. The resulting rocks mean lots of games for foals and a hiding place for Thaya. Thaya doesn't really care for the mountain, but at least there is a boundary. The meadow of the Herd of Aeoleus just stretches on and on and is rather monotonous. It is also pain to run away from, being so flat, Thaya reflects. At least she got away. After all she was going to have to….

Thaya would love to spend more time reminiscing on the past, but her mind is forced back to the present rather hurriedly by a young foal that comes bounding around looking for one of his companions. He stops in fear at the sight of the blue mare, and then lets out a terrible scream, as if she was hurting him or something. But the scream does its job, and the guard stallions come running over to protect their young from the evil Aeolean unicorn. Eneus is among the guards and is startled by the sight of the blue unicorn. All his life he has grown up around metallics and browns and silvers and bronzes, but this mare is so different, he almost runs into the stallion in front of him.

The stallions are running fast and hard for whoever catches the intruder will be the new favorite of Hephaestus, but they are no match for the mare. She _is_ from the Herd of Aeoleus, after all, and nothing, no matter how hard it tries can beat the wind.

Thaya runs hard and fast and deep into the night, long after the stallions have slowed down for fear of stumbling. Thaya doesn't need eyes to know what lies ahead of her, and she blows along the ground like the autumn wind.

Eneus has drifted to the side of the pack, far out of earshot. When he is certain he isn't being followed, he takes off full speed again, for he fears nothing except losing the blue mare, the mare the color of the sky, the mare who runs like the wind and is probably too far ahead to catch, but Eneus still doesn't want to lose her, so he gallops with reckless abandon.

Thaya _is_ too far ahead to be caught, and she knows that so she slows down to a walk. She is very depressed and doesn't know were to turn. She has lived all her life in a herd and her one hope was that Hephaestus would take her in. But perhaps it was a foolhardy hope and now she has nothing to cling to as she wanders aimlessly on the dark moonless night.

There is one particular math problem that teachers delight in torturing their students with. It goes something like this: If Train A if moving 1 mile an hour and Train B is 25 miles and hour and there are 40 miles in between the two, at what time will Train B overcome Train A? Well, of course, there are no trains in the Valley, but if we compute the problem, then the answer turns out to be: Sometime in the Middle of the Night. (The Middle of the Night is an actual time. It lies right in the area when it is either to late to be out or too early to be up, and if something ever happens during the night, it happens at that time.)

So, a little after midnight, or perhaps a lot before dawn, Eneus, Stallion from Metal, finally caught up with Thaya, Mare from Wind. At first, Eneus didn't approach the beautiful mare. He just watches her, afraid that she would run off again if he came closer. She, completely oblivious to his presence, drops her head to drink from the stream. Her mane falls forward and Eneus is reminded of the long streaky clouds that appear in the sky on fair days. Although she is not as flirty or as graceful as the young fillies in his herd, Eneus feels his heart flutter for this blue mare and wants nothing more than to sidle up and nuzzle her. He nervously takes a step forward and instantly regrets it, for his metal hooves clang on the hard rock of the river bank. The mare starts and almost runs but doesn't. Eneus, who was actually expecting her to run, plows straight into the blue mare and the two of the tumble into the river.

The current isn't strong, nor is the water deep, so the two stand there, drenched in cold water and shivering in the dark of the moonless night. The silence is broken by the harsh sarcasm of Thaya's voice, "Smooth, Genius."

"Actually, I'm more of a shaggy dunce."

Thaya just stares at the dripping stallion.

"It's supposed to be a joke…although not a very funny one, I guess…" Eneus trails off, unsure of what to do now that he has finally caught up to the mare.

Thaya shakes her head and clambers out of the water, and Eneus follows close behind. Thaya can't believe it, but she almost feels something for this stallion who chased her all the way from the base of the mountain, all the way to the river… Once again her train of thought is broken but this time it by the realization that she is halfway back to Aeoleus's Herd, and must leave, _now_.

Eneus sees that concern on her face and asks what's wrong.

"I ran away, and I'm not going back," Thaya replies, "If I do, I have to mate with Aeoleus."

Eneus stares at her incredulously. "I don't know much about the Aeoleans," he acknowledges, "but all the young mares in _my_ herd are clamoring to mate with Hephaestus."

"Yeah, I would too," Thaya admits, "But he's so…. _Old_. It's disgusting, I mean, I'm just a yearling, and he's hundreds of years old, and he wants me to mate with him and I don't even know him and it's just wrong." Thaya pauses for a moment. "But I just don't know where to go now. I can't go back, your herd doesn't seem very receptive, and I just don't think that Oricinus would be a very good idea."

"What about Terrenus?"

"He's all the way on the other side of Orcinus. I'd never get there before being caught."

"You could take the long way, circling around the Valley."

"Wind doesn't stand a chance in the mountains. We need flat spaces to get up to speed."

Any further conversation is cut off by a sudden gust of wind that blows manes, tails and grass everywhere. Looking off into the distance, Eneus can see a massive stallion running hard in the direction of his home Herd. Thaya says one word.

"Aeoleus."

"I didn't realize that a unicorn could run that fast."

"Wind Lord, remember?"

"Oh, right. Now what?"

"I don't know." Thaya panics, "I'm toast once he finds out that I came this way."

Eneus's eyes go wide. You can almost see the candle above his head. "The mountains. You said it yourself. The wind doesn't stand a chance in the mountains. It'll take him ages to find us, plus we have hundreds of cave to hide in. Come on!"

Thaya takes off after Eneus, slightly surprised that her 'I' has become Eneus's 'we,' and is even more surprised that she doesn't really care. Just as the sun clears the tree line, they reach the base of the mountains. By high noon they are roaming the range, when they come upon a crystal clear, perfectly round pool of water in the middle of a meadow. Thaya speaks first.

"Eneus, what is this place?"

He hesitates before giving an answer. He eyes the small trickle of water that goes into the pool, and the slightly larger stream coming out that falls down a waterfall. "I think," He says, "that this is the start of the river."

"Eneus, this place doesn't fell right. Let's leave."

The stallion doesn't budge, but stares into the water as if hypnotized. "Eneus, please." Thaya is almost pleading now; she wants so desperately to leave. Eneus still doesn't move. Thaya nuzzles him and catches sight of the image in the water.

It is a young filly, a piebald of many different colors. She had brilliant red-orange and a pale green mixed in with a sort of dark, mottled silver. She prances about, running here and there. She pauses, as if being called and then runs over to the mare who must be her mother. Thaya gasps. The dam is blue, with a white mane and tail.

Another unicorn trots into view. He is bronze, with a silver mane. He nuzzles the mare, who Thaya knows must be herself, and all three turn and seem to stare at Thaya and Eneus.

A breeze disturbs the clearing. It gets stronger and stronger until it is a full-blown gale, and the duo know that Aeoleus is coming. They hear hooves approaching. A unicorn breaks into the clearing. And then Eneus and Thaya plunge into the water, and they go to the place where Aeoleus cannot follow.

In short while, Thaya is with foal. It is a filly, a piebald one. Thaya names her Rouille, and she is, in fact, the filly from the water. Her copper hooves and horn oxide green in the rain, her metallic coat rusts red. Her jewel of pure silver tarnishes in the air.

In the years to come, Thaya is still not sure why they went into the water. Eneus comforts her, saying that Aeoleus was right behind them. Perhaps he is right. But until her death, Thaya is firmly convinced that the unicorn behind them was white.


	5. The Bush and the Bee

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Five: Bush and Bee

This chapter is dedicated to FFRikku.

* * *

Mellifer was from the sun herd, and thus had a bright yellow coat. His mane and tail were black, complemented by a black dorsal stripe and black lower legs. The black on his lower legs continued upward, giving him the appearance of having stripes. His jewel was a yellow citrine, and his horn and hooves were made of carnelian stone. All the young mares thought that Mellifer was quite the charmer, although Solaris had some hinting, nagging feeling that Mellifer was always up to no good. 

Mellifer, though not the most popular, had plenty of friends, a good social standing, and a breezy attitude. He also had a secret and was terrified that someone would find out.

o!o

Arodousna was from the fire herd, and anyone could tell you _that_, given her bright red coat with just a hint of pink. Her red coral horn and hooves went nicely with her red zircon jewel. She was popular, well-liked, and everyone, including Mulciber, admired her brilliant coat.

She had a white blaze, white stockings, and a charming personality. She also had a secret and was terrified that someone would find out.

The secret was this: every second Tuesday and every third Thursday Arodousna would sneak into the woods and every second Tuesday and every third Thursday Mellifer would be there to meet her. They kept the days long apart because they had learned from Derecho and Izquierda: better careful than caught. But meet they did and their love blossomed.

For years they continued their secret meetings, and no one suspected a thing. However, the time came when all the other stallions in Solaris's Herd had chosen a mate. Mellifer had not. When confronted by Solaris, Mellifer said that he had no interest in mating and having to put up with youngsters. Solaris let the topic slide, but his watch on Mellifer increased threefold. And Solaris noticed Mellifer snuck into the forest. Solaris didn't need to follow to know what was happening. But he was patient, so he waited for the right moment to regain control of his contrary stallion.

As it would happen, all the mares in Mulciber's Herd had paired off with red stallions to make the Herd grow larger. But of course, Arodousna was too in love with Mellifer to choose a mate. Mulciber grew suspicious, for many young stallions were clamoring to run with the mateless mare. And Mulciber saw the red-pink mare sneak into the woods, and Mulciber followed.

**o!o**

Arodousna and Mellifer have also learned from Thaya and Eneus: Long absences make discovery prompt. Keeping this in mind, the two had set a rule for themselves: No more than an hour. If they kept their meetings under an hour long, they had a better chance of not being missed. But today, when it comes time to part, Arodousna begs Mellifer not to go.

"Please, wait. I don't want to go back. We can run away, like the others have."

"The others were all caught in the end," Mellifer points out. "We would be too."

Mellifer ignores the rest of Arodousna's pleadings and turns to leave, but Arodousna's voice stops him in his tracks.

"Who sent Eneus and Thaya to where they are?"

Mellifer stops short, and tries to think about the rumors that he has heard. They are all different, ranging from foal to no foal, from caught to banished to dead. But if Aeoleus had caught the two lovers, then why did he let them stay together? He should have separated them, like Orcinus did to Derecho and Izqueirda… Mellifer pauses. "The Mare must have," Mellifer says slowly. He turns to Arodousna. "The Mare must have sent them away."

Arodousna leaps up. "She could do the same for us!" He voice is desperate, almost pleading. Mellifer looks into her eyes. "But if we're caught…" He trails off. Even if they are caught, he will take that risk if he just has the chance to spend forever with the beautiful mare in front of him. "Let's go."

The duo takes off, the red mare running alongside the yellow stallion who is her love. Neither of them notice the smell of burning wood behind them, and neither notice the brilliant, flame red Stallion take off in the direction that Mellifer had come from.

o!o

Solaris is grazing on the edge of his Herd, on top of a grassy knoll that allows him to see all the goings-on of the Herd. It is a breezy, clear day, but it's going to get very hot by noon-time. He thoughtfully chomps on a bit of grass, flicking his tail back and forth in the ever growing heat. He stops mid-chew. It is getting hotter… but _too_ hot. And only on one side. Solaris drops his mouthful of grass.

"What in the name of…." He trails off and grins. "Oh hello! Mulciber, it's been what, one, two hundred, years since we last talked."

The Fire Stallion glowers at Solaris. His brilliant red coat is so hot that sweat is steaming off of it. Superheated air blows out of his wide nostrils. He shuts his bonfire eyes and thinks carefully.

"It's been one hundred and thirteen years, four months, and ten days." Mulciber replies, if somewhat grumpily.

"What, you're not going to break it down into the hours?" As Mulciber opens his mouth, most likely _to_ break it down into hours, minutes, and seconds, Solaris continues, "What brings you to my humble corner of the Valley?"

Mulciber sighs. "You're never going to believe this."

"Try me."

Mulciber cocks an eyebrow. "One of your stallions has stolen one of my mares."

"Don't be silly, Mulciber. He just sneaks into meet her. He always comes back."

"No! They've run off!"

Solaris wheels and gazes down at his Herd. He scans furiously, and then looks again. Nope. Mellifer is not there, and he had snuck off, what five hours ago? He never spent more than an hour with whatever mare he was meeting.

"Holy locoweed," Solaris mutters under his breath. "Look, we have to go catch them. If they escape like the last two…" This last part is directed to Mulciber, who instantly catches the hint. The two Elementals take off, their fierce speeds eating up the four-hour head start that the runaway lovers had.

o!o

Arodousna and Mellifer are still running hard, but their lead is slowly slipping away from them. They aren't quite sure where they should look for the Mare, but Mellifer has heard that Eneus and Thaya disappeared in the mountains by following the river, so that is the path that these next two lovers take. They run hard, not knowing how much time they have left before they are caught. The pair follow the river, entering the mountains and marveling at their height. Neither of them are used to such closed in spaces; their homes have always been meadows closed in by trees.

Sooner rather than later, they hear hooves rapidly approaching behind them. The pair break into a sprint. Leaving the course of the river for a tree-lined path that offers greater coverage, the two soon become hopelessly lost amongst the mountains. The faster they run, the stronger the smell of smoke becomes and the wooded path slowly shines brighter and brighter.

Mellifer is becoming desperate, praying that they won't be caught. He looks around wildly, for someplace to hide. His eyes fall on a cave, which seems deeper than any of the others. Nudging Arodousna, he leads the way. The two duck inside as the Elemental Stallions turn a corner and come into view. Arodousna turns and sees the Elementals gallop past the cave. She thanks whatever luck allowed that to happen and turns to Mellifer.

He is standing in a startled position, his eyes wide, ears forward, and jaw hanging slightly open. He is staring straight ahead. When Arodousna follows his gaze, she starts to stare, too. They have no words for what they see, for such things have never before been seen in the Valley. They were also not seen for some time after this, so I will explain it to you in words of the Mortal Realms.

There was a table, made of wood, mahogany to be exact. There are chairs, also mahogany, identical in every way to each other. There is a bed with a feather mattress in one corner, and a sort of nest in another. In a third corner, there is a pile of dried grasses, and that is the only resting place that looks like it is still in use. But the main feature, and that is one which is the _most_ important, is an oval pool in the middle of the cave. Its water is still, except for the ripples that form when water dripping from the ceiling lands in the center of the pool. The floor of the pool is covered with gems: a sort of black stone, which gives the water an eerie and foreboding feeling.

Arodousna stares entranced, gazing at her reflection in the water. Mellifer, already uneasy about the appearance of the cave, jumps when a unicorn suddenly appears at the other side of the cave.

o!o

Mulciber's temper is starting to get the better of him. They had been running for hours, chasing a mare and a stallion that Solaris had obviously known about. Mulciber had thought that his brother had better sense than this, but obviously he is still lacking in that department.

A few trees burst into flame as Mulciber runs past. Solaris, a few steps ahead, turns his head and whinnies at Mulciber to stop. Not all unicorns are as comfortable with fire as the Fire Stallion is.

The Elementals are still running strong when Mulciber starts to notice that something is wrong. The underbrush is still intact, and the prints have long ago disappeared. So he calls out, "Sol, hold up," and surprisingly enough, the Sun Stallion slows.

Mulciber starts to sniff the ground, sparks from his nostrils igniting some of the grass. Suddenly he pins his ears back. "We've lost the trail!"

"What do you mean, we lost the trail!" Solaris speaks with a snort of laughter, confident that no one can outwit an Elemental.

"I mean they didn't come this way."

This grabs Solaris's attention real fast. "Huh?"

Mulciber wheels around back the way that they had come. This time, _he's_ tracking the runaways.

o!o

"I believe that you were looking for me?" The white unicorn's voice is calm and mysterious, spoken with the air of someone who knows more than you ever will.

Mellifer and Arodousna are nervous now, make no mistake, but they have come too far to go back now. Arodousna waits for Mellifer to reply to the white mare. When no response comes, Arodousna takes over. Her jaw doesn't seem to work right; she is so nervous. Instead of the cool and confident speech that they had planned, Arodousna's voice is shaky and foal-like. "Y-yes, we w-were looking for y-you."

"And?"

Arodousna's voice slips into the pleading tone that she has so often used on Mellifer. "Please…S-s-send us away! Like the others!"

The Mare seems to think. She stares at, around, and through the two lovers. She cocks her head, and then sighs. "Look into the water." The duo does so, looking at a land that is so similar, yet so different from their own Valley. Wolves roam this land, as do lions, tigers, vultures, and all other sorts of predatory beings. Arodousna turns her head into Mellifer's shoulder. Mellifer nuzzles her red-pink neck before turning to the Mare. "Will you help us, then?"

The Mare flicks her ears and draws a deep breath. "The Mortal Realms is no place for a unicorn. Much less two." She pauses before continuing, "If I send you, you must be changed. You cannot remain a unicorn. And you must choose, for Solaris and Mulciber return. But you cannot remain a unicorn."

Mellifer stiffens. To no longer be a unicorn? What other life was there, then, than this? What could there be if not the taste of the grass, the scent of the flowers, the wind in your mane? What was there for a unicorn, if it could not be a unicorn? He turns to give the Mare his answer….but then he stops. He looks at Arodousna, the red-pink mare, as trusting as a filly, who had followed him this far. If they go back she would live a long, if loveless life, as unicorn….but there is no going back, Mellifer realizes.

With the wisdom of one who is more a stallion than a colt, Mellifer knows that he would rather spend a lifetime as not a unicorn, than five minutes as one. For Mellifer knows that his heart belongs to the red-pink mare, who is gazing at him with those rose-colored eyes that he loved. He would do whatever the Mare asked, as long as he could remain with Arodousna.

So as the pounding hooves of the Elementals grow louder, Mellifer and Arodousna plunge into the icy could water. But instead of hitting the black stone floor, they keep falling. Arodousna feels her horn shatter. As she falls, the sharp bits jab into her skin, drawing blood that stains her red-pink coat. Mellifer cries out to her, but his horn breaks off of his forehead and falls behind him. At the same time, his whithers are aching, aching, aching…

o o

Mulciber and Solaris pound into the cave. Perhaps what Arodousna and Mellifer saw was just an illusion, or maybe some trick of the Mare's, but The Elementals do not see the fantastic things that the lovers saw. They see just the Mare and a pool of water. They pull up short, keeping on their side of the pool, while the Mare remains on hers. Mulciber looks around the darkened cave, using Solaris's brilliant light as a torch. Their eyes flicker over the image in the water and peer into the darkest corners. Finally, they turn to the Mare.

Soalris, the most impatient of the six, inquires, "Mare, where are they?" The white mare just smiles coyly at them. For a moment she looks like a flirting youngling looking for a mate. And then she is herself again. And then she answers: "They are not here."

Solaris exhales irritably, and glares pointedly at Mulciber and then trots out of the cave. Mulciber lingers behind a little longer, gazing at the image that hangs suspended on the water. He grins, tosses his mane, and follows his elder brother out of the cave and back to their valley.

The image that Solaris scoffed at and Mulciber laughed at glows in the water just a few moments longer. It is a rosebush, covered with thorns, but with flowers that are the most beautiful red-almost-pink color that the mortal realms has ever seen. And, fluttering around the red "horned" bush buzzes a lone insect. It is a brilliant yellow, stripped with black. It carries a poisonous horn on its rear and has wings growing from its shoulders.

Despite the beauty of its rose, many people have scorned the thorn bush for its sharp prickers that tear clothing and bleed fingers. Despite the sweetness of its honey, many have loathed the bee for the bit of its stinger that causes pain and even death.

But there is no greater love than that of the rosebush and the bumblebee.


	6. The Lost Lovers

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Six: The Lost Lovers

Days transformed into years since the meeting of Arodousna and Mellifer. Truth had slowly twisted into a legend in which Solaris and Mulciber had been beaten by a flower and an insect. Although the two Elementals didn't like that last past, the story spread and soon everyone knew of the red mare and the yellow stallion. And the wisest wondered who would be next.

For, indeed, there were others. Many others, each story like the next, of the lost lovers who gave everything for their mates. There was the fire mare Tuli and the land stallion Jordisk whose love merged them into the first volcano. There was metal stallion Alapfem who so deeply loved the earth mare Minhoca that they bonded (forgive my word choice) to create the mine and the metal ore that aids mortals to this day. Additionally, there was the sea mare Vesi, who so heartbroken that she couldn't mate with her love, the wind stallion Skoja, that she cried so hard and so long that the sea itself became salty. And who in all worlds could forget the fire stallion Sparare who so deeply loved the sun mare Occasus that his passion still lights the sky on fire every time the sun mare rises or sets.

But the most important were The Five.


	7. The Five Friends, Part I

Chapter Seven: The Five Friends, Part One

A/N: 'China' not pronounces China, as in the country, but rather "Chin-ah," as in your chin and the noise you make at the doctor's office. And yes, I nicked lines from both Shrek and LotR, a chapter dedication to whoever finds them first.

* * *

This chapter is dedicated to Morgan (rebelsoul-obedientmind) who listened to my incessant prattle about a world with unicorns, talking animals, sorcerers, and Krakens for _six_ straight hours on the way from Camp to home. Morgan also deserves mention because she listened to me blabber on about worlds stacked like pancakes and managed to keep a straight face _at the same time_.

* * *

Many Lovers own the tales, 

And went where the Valley ends;

But all the Unicorns still agree:

That the best was that of The Friends.

Panthera was, in many ways, an average sun unicorn. He had a yellow coat, with slightly darker mane, tail, and lower legs, just enough to be classified as a yellow bay. He had a cat's eye Prehnite gem and his horn and hooves consisted of slightly orangey Rutile. He was of average height for the sun herd, so that would make him around seventeen hands, but that is nothing compared to Solaris's nineteen. Panthera has a mate, pale yellow Anria, who, though pretty and good natured, is a few flakes short of a bale and a few waves short of an ocean, if you catch my drift. In short time she will be with foal, but that is another story for another day. Panthera is jovial and outgoing, and is well-enough liked, if not the most popular. No, the award for most popular would go to Chinawksul.

Chinawksul is brilliant yellow with a Helidor gem and Carnelian horn and hooves. He is even taller than his best friend Panthera, and is one of the favored ones of Solaris. He is not the most favored, but no one really likes the stuck up Arkim, so the other Unicorns try to pretend that he doesn't exist.

Unlike Panthera, Chinawksul does not have a mate. This does not draw nearly as much attention as it would have in previous years, for now the Herds have grown so large that not every Unicorn must have a mate, and sometimes there is even an odd number. So neither Solaris nor the rest of the Herd remarked on Chinawksul's matelessness, a mistake that turns out to be a costly one for the Stallion of the Sun.

For Chinawksul and Panthera pay close attention to the stars and moon, and when they are just right, the two seem to vanish for a little while. But they always come back.

Always.

o_l_o

Spoonarah is a wind mare, with a periwinkle coat that matches the sky, a slightly grey mane and tail, Lazulite horn and hooves, and a stone made of pale Kyanite. She is as restless as the wind, and spends many hours looking over the borderless plain that stretches off in the general direction of the Herd of Hephaestus. Spoonarah always has a sort of lost look in her eyes, and often she does get lost, even if she does manage to un-lose herself. She is slightly more graceful than her sister, and the only reason that is important is because her sister was a marble-hooved unicorn named Thaya.

o_l_o

The only thing special about Canis is that he is short and stocky. He measures roughly fourteen hands, being completely dwarfed by the other Terrenus Unicorns. Canis is a dull solid brown, decked out with pumice horn and hooves and a Topaz. They're not particularly impressive, but then again, neither is Canis. He doesn't have a mate, but that's only because most mares hate looking down at their mates. As aforesaid, Canis is stocky, and that's saying something, given how all Terrenian unicorns are stocky. Nowadays, we would equate Canis to a short Worker unicorn, but they didn't have creatures like those in his day, so you will never hear anyone refer to Canis as such a critter. They also didn't have any watches either, so no one really knew how long a time Canis would disappear for.

o_l_o

Barikah was the last and Barikah was the first. She was the youngest, but she was also the oldest, too. Sometimes she saw things and sometimes she didn't, but she was the lock into which the key fit, so she was important.

Barikah's favorite spot is the River. She splashes along it all day long, creating rainbows in the air. She will sometimes follow it to its origin, and sometimes she follows it the other way, and comes back quite some time later. But no one really cares about her river obsession, actually most are quite glad. The reason is two-fold. The first is this: Barikah is a Water Unicorn, in fact, her father is the Elemental, something that not every Unicorn can claim nowadays. She doesn't have a mate, but she is really too young to worry about _that_, even if she is of foal-bearing age. And the Herd numbers are so large now that it doesn't really matter.

Barikah's horn and hooves are Sodalite and her gem is Indicolite. Everyone is glad about that, too. Her coat is another matter altogether. It is patchy, a deep-almost-black-blue contrasting with pale-almost-white-blue. If her Friends knew of such creatures, they would compare her to a cow, but there are no cows in the Valley, so everyone is left wondering about her coat color.

The second reason everyone is pleased with her water obsession is because they were afraid that she would turn out like her half-brother, Surfdancer, for Barikah is the only foal of Izquierda and Orcinus.

o_l_o

Panthera pranced through the hock deep grass, lifting each hoof clear of the green before putting it back down again. His tail is arched backward, his neck curved and his ears pricked forward. He is singing to himself, as he often does. The words are meaningless, just a way to pass the time. But Panthera enjoys them and so does everyone around him, even though they call it 'a waste of perfectly good air.'

"Hey-a diddle diddle,

Hey-a daddle do.

Hey-a little kiddle

Middle dilly dally ju.

Hey-a diddle daddle,

Hey-a laddey ka.

Hey-a jiddle niddle

Lilly lully lally la."

Panthera pauses in mid-stride, carefully placing his hoof back were it came from. He is standing next to an old mare (but not The Mare). Her back is starting to sag in the middle and she chomps her purple flowers very carefully. Panthera grins, and then:

"Hey, my frisky filly,

Hey, my sweet mare-heart,

Won't you come along and be

A frisky now with me."

He smiles flirtingly at the mare, but she snorts, knowing that he is just joking, he always is. Panthera prances off again, flicking his tail as he goes. He is so content with his singing that he almost steps on top of a small filly who barely comes up to his knee. She is looking around wildly for her dam, but can hardly see over the grass. Panthera sniffs her and grabs her attention with a song.

"Hey, my ray of sunshine,

Hey, my shadow true,

Woncha come along so

I can spend some time with you."

The filly laughs and soon her dam pops up and foalherds her away. Panthera trots off again, but his time his movements are quiet and carefully placed. He takes great care not to step on any twigs and he moves so carefully that he hardly swishes the grass. Within no time, he is alongside a large yellow stallion. A couple of young mares, both available and not, are standing a little distance away, but they dare not venture inside the range of his long neck, for he has been known to bite if he wants to be left alone. Panthera lefts his head up and flicks his ears back, silently telling the surrounding mares to keep quiet. He takes a deep breath and then belts out at the top of his lungs,

"Hey, bright yellow sunbeam,

Hey, the son of Sun –uff!"

The 'uff' wasn't really intended, but it was the best Panthera could do after getting a yellow shoulder in the chest. The unicorns nearby are snickering, and even Solaris, who had looked up to see what was happening, is chuckling. But none are laughing quite as hard as the owner of the shoulder.

"Was that…really…neces…ssary?" Panthera gasps out. "I just wanted…to serenade…to you."

Chinawksul, who had finally gotten control of his laughing, responded to his friend. "Of course it was necessary, Panth…Did you really think you could sneak up on me?"

"You just wait, China, when you least expect it, I'll be there."

Chinawksul snorted again. "Ooooh, I'm scared now." To which Panthera had no comeback and instead settled on sticking out his tongue.

The two friends took off across the grassy meadow and left the love-sick mares eating their grass stains.

o_l_o

Barikah splashed in the river, leaping over invisible fences and ducking her head under to throw up hundreds of droplets which broke the light into a sparkling rainbow. She loved it here, amidst the water that matched the pale parts of her coat. She really couldn't understand why her half brother was torn so between the land and the sea. After all, what could be so great about unmoving, boring land? She glanced over at Orcinus, and was pleased to find his head deep in the grass. She was following the river into the forest today, and was not one to take chances.

o_l_o

Spoonarah was deep in the woods. She wasn't lost, although that would be the story she would tell a few hours from now when she stumbled back onto the Herd's plain. No, she wasn't lost, in fact, she knew these woods better than anyone.

o_l_o

Canis was furiously trying to make himself too small to be noticed. Which, given his size, was actually not too hard. At first glance he was just another brown unicorn, and a first glance was all anyone ever gave him, especially after he slipped into the woods.

o_l_o

The others were already in the clearing when China and Panthera arrived. Interestingly enough, it was the same clearing were Derecho and Izqueirda meet all those long years ago, although none gathered there knew that. More interestingly enough, though, was the group that was assembled before the arrival of the two sun stallions: a water mare, a wind mare, and an earth stallion, and I am sure that the listener of this tale can very well guess just who those unicorns were.

o_l_o

"Geez, guys, what took you so long?" That was Barikah, pretending to be impatient, but not really succeeding. Panthera yearned to point out that she was the last to arrive last time, but he was cut off by China.

"Well, we would have been here earlier, but Panth had to take a catnap." This started a bout of good-natured joshing.

"Aww, has wickle Panthie tired himself out singing?"

"No, he sang his own lullabies!"

"Wow, Pan isn't afraid of the dark anymore! I'm so proud of you!"

Panthera shook his mane. "What is this, Pick on Panthera Day?"

"Better than Pick on Canis Day," the Terrenian unicorn pointed out.

"Well, jokes about you are in _short_ supply, Canis."

Canis glared at Panthera. "That, Pan, was way below the hock."

"He must have pretty good aim then," Spoonarah chipped in, "since there's such a small amount of room between your hock and the ground." Everyone laughed at Spoonarah's observation, and Chinawksul sidled up alongside the pale blue mare, nuzzling her neck. The five friends couldn't remember a time when they had not been meeting each other, although they were sure there was such a when. But as the years galloped onward, Chinawksul and Spoonarah had begun to care for each other, and soon the caring turned into love. Unfortunately for the lovers, the rest of the group was not so tolerant of their displays of affection.

"Hey, the sweetheart lovers, Will they have a foaly? Only time will tell if She becomes a rolly-poly."

"Heh, heh. Very funny Panth. Forgive me while I laugh some more." China's voice was bitter at his missed opportunity.

Barikah was not blind. Usually the exact opposite, in fact. She could see the tension. Not just feel it, but see it. The topic needed to be changed, and fast. "So, has anyone heard if anyone else tried to run away from their Herds?"

Panthera snorted. "There's not a reason for us to. They're just random unicorns, one in a million."

"No, not true. Not anymore anyway." Spoonarah horned into the conversation. "There's too many for it just to be single pairs of lovers."

"Huh?"

"Everyone knows someone," Spoon said thoughtfully. And Panthera noticed that she was right. Why, Spoon was Thaya's sister and Barikah was the daughter of the legendary Izquierda. Mellifer was a distant uncle of Panthera's, something like twice removed on his mother's side, but his dam hadn't been too clear on that. Canis had mentioned something about knowing Minhoca before she fell for Alapfem, and Occasus had been China's cousin. _Spoon is right_, he thought, _it's not single cases anymore…it's like the walls around each Herd have suddenly come down_.

Barikah was watching the others think. Spoon was right, of course, but Barikah had already known that. Being an Elemental's daughter had some payoff anyway. The first was not being noticed when her sire was in a huff. She gazed at Spoon and China, who were ogling each other again. _It wasn't right,_ she thought,_ that they will never be able to mate._ She grinned inwardly. Or would they?

She leaned over to Panthera who was the closest and whispered in his ear. He jumped as if he had been struck by lightning, then whispers something to Canis. He cocks his head in thought, and then nods eagerly. Both Barikah and Canis looked at Panthera expectedly. He stared back at them as all three engaged in a battle of wills. Panthera finally admitted defeat and cleared his throat loudly.

"Ahem…Moving on to the next topic of business… How to smuggle China and Spoon out of the Valley." The lovers pull away from each other and stare slack jawed, bogey eyed at Panthera. "I'm serious guys, really."

Chinawksul slowly tried to gather his wits. Was it even possible for Panth to be serious? "Y'all, we…you can't…we'll get caught…_you'll_ get caught…you can't….How?"

"Well, we hadn't really got that far yet-"

"But if we can get enough of a head start – "

"The Elemtals won't catch up."

Chinawksul looks dazed. "Supposing we get a lead, where will we go?"

"The Mortal Realms."

"Hmm… Mortal Realms. How?"

"Well, um, we could find the Mare…"

"I can do it." Everyone turns to Barikah who has remained silent during the entire exchange. She glances around at her friends, suddenly fearing that they'd not believe her or worse, they'd call her a freak. But there was no choice now, she had to go on. "I see things in the water…Sometimes other Lovers, sometimes other Herds. I'm sure I could send you through."

Chinawksul looks at Spoonarah, then back at Barikah. He is about to tell his friends that its not worth it; he won't let them risk everything. Panthera speaks before he talks.

"China, don't try to discourage us. We've wanted to do this ever since you two fell in love."

"Really?"

"Ah, sorta. Not really. But think of _her_. You won't get another chance!"

Spoonarah shakes her head, not believing that all of this is happening. This is madness, she thinks, but instead says, "When?"

Canis grins. "Tonight," he says simply.

Panthera turns to his friend, incredulous. "Tonight?"

"Tonight. Mare's Moon." The others nod in understanding. The Night of the Mare's Moon was the last full moon of the year, so everyone would be awake all night, ready to welcome in the first dawn of the new year. There would be celebrations, so it would easy to slip away, plus no one would do anything till noon the following day. It was the perfect time to do stupid things such as this.

The gears in Panthera's head were churning as he tried to think of a plan. "So everyone meet here right after sunset, okey-dokey?" Without waiting to hear their consent, he whirled and took off back towards home Herd without waiting for Chinawksul. He promptly spent the rest of the day avoiding his best friend and his inevitable questions.


	8. The Five Friends, Part II

Chapter Eight: The Five Friends, Part Two

* * *

This chapter is dedicated to (the slightly parish) Sarah (Amry), who slept the entire six hours from Camp to home, woke up briefly to tell me to stop talking about the fanfiction before she read the story, and has really, really funny jokes, the best that not even Morgan can keep a straight face at.

* * *

For the ties that bound The Friends,  
Lasted the longest while.  
And when two of them vanished,  
The remaining would only smile.

* * *

It was two hours after sunset when Barikah finally stumbled into the clearing. "Sorry I'm late," she apologized, "That idiot Karsu keep following me around. I couldn't get away till now."

"S'alright, Bari," Canis reassured her, "Pan and I spent the last two hours reminding these lovesick songbirds we're doing this."

"Any luck?"

"No."

Panthera had worked out a rough plan. They would all go into the mountains, and if they were followed, Canis and himself would split off from the other three to try the lure the Elementals the wrong way. "But hopefully it won't come to that," he said, grinning innocently at their worried faces.

They took off, galloping towards the mountains before looping over to follow the river. There was a path through the mountains, but it was hard going. The skidded on pebbles and loose stones, and when they reached a series of switchbacks leading up the rocky face of a mountain, Panthera finally slowed to a walk. The others followed after him, forced by the narrow trail to go single file. They mostly traveled in silence, but Panthera, feeling the mood ought to be lightened, finally broke into song.

"Hey-a diddle dally,  
Hey-a dally da;  
Hey-a skilly milly  
Killy lilli lally la.

"Hey-a fiddle faddle,  
Hey-a fuddle fa;  
Hey-a funni lunni  
Kunni hilly hally ha.

Hey-oh great."

"What is it?" asked Spoonarah trying to see around both Chinawksul and Panthera. Canis, who was in the rear and hadn't gone around the next switchback yet, could see what was wrong quite clearly and he groaned aloud. "The path's out."

Chinawksul peered around Panthera. "It's not too bad…we might be able to jump it."

"It'll be tough – the path's narrow."

"Do we have another choice?"

"Uh, no, not really."

"My point."

"Here goes." Panthera gathered himself. He made to the other side safe enough, and the trail did widen out, so it wasn't as bad as Panthera had feared. It'd still be close, though. The lovers followed after the yellow stallion. Barikah took a running start. As she jumped Canis looked up from diagonally underneath of her. He started to laugh. Barikah wheeled around, indignant. "What?"

"Well, from down here," Canis replied somewhat sheepishly, "it looked like you jumped over the moon."

Barikah's ears flicked opposite directions before turning to follow the others. _What was that supposed to mean?_ But, in truth, she was almost at the point of agreeing with her half-brother. Maybe the Land wasn't so bad after all.

They reached the clearing in the meadow with the round pool of water without a hitch. It was now Barikah's turn to take over the show. When she had said that she could send her two friends through, she wasn't sure if she really could. While it was true she could call up any image she wanted, Barikah had never actually tried to go through the water for one simple reason: What if she couldn't get back? When Panthera had unveiled his great plan, she had been pretty confident, but she had had several hours to think about it and with every step, she had lost more confidence. She glanced sideways at Chinawksul and Spoonarah. She couldn't give up. Not yet anyway.

Barikah stepped carefully through the ungrazed grass. She reached the pool hesitated, then lowered her horn and hit the water with it. "Mortal Realms," she said, being sure to enunciate clearly. In the same way it always did, a clearing came into view, looking calm and innocent in the water. She turned to her friends, "I think you can go through." She held her breath as Chinawksul and Spoonarah nuzzled their friends one last time. Barikah saw the tears on Spoonarah's face and then broke down into tears herself. When she opened her eyes again, they were gone.

o_l_o

Those remaining returned to their Herds just before dawn, celebrated with their families, then bedded down for the night, wondering who when the word would sneak around.

o_l_o

Judging from the sun, it was almost midday when Panthera woke up. Anria, his golden mare lay beside him, and he moved carefully to keep from waking her. Panthera was almost at the spring when Solaris confronted him.

"Where's Chinawksul?" The Sun Stallion was almost accusing, as if he suspected (although not without probable reason, Panthera supposed) that Panthera had to do with China's vanishment.

"I haven't seen since three hours a'fore dawn," Panthera said, hoping that he could fool the Stallion (although it wasn't really a lie, Panthera thought ironically). Solaris glared at Panthera a little while longer, then galloped off; Panthera thought he was aiming for Orcinus's Herd, as if he was going to find out who else was missing. Although he knew Solaris would watch him far too closely for the stallion to sneak into woods to meet his friends, Panthera couldn't resist a last jab at Solaris's retreating tail.

"Hey-a diddle dally,  
Hey-a dally don,  
No one in the Valley,  
Will tell you were they've gone."

* * *

Canis's friend, Tetrico, ambushed him almost as soon as the small stallion woke up.

"Missed ya last night. 'Twas a blast."

"Hmm?"

"Yah, really fun. The mares sang bunches of songs."

"Cor."

"Hey, Cane. Creta was asking after you."

"Really?" The last line was the only one that Canis actually spoke with interest. Creta was a young mare who was being envied by two stallions, Canis and another named Ceterus. Canis had figured that he hadn't had a chance against Ceterus, but this could be a good sign.

"Say, pal, When yur gonna ask her? Elsewise Cet'll beat ya to it."

Canis paused. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe I won't."

"Why not?"

Canis didn't answer. Tetrico assumed there was one reason, but really, there were two. The first was that most mares want a stallion that they could lean on, and Canis was too short to offer that.

The second reason, the one that Canis didn't tell Tetrico, was that, in his mind, Canis kept seeing an almost white, almost black mare with her mane and tail streaming out behind her.

* * *

Barikah, to her great relief, passed almost the entire day with her friend, Wanip, and, to her much greater relief, without any sight of her would-be suitor, Karsu. Unfortunately, to her sheer disappointment, Karsu located her about an hour before sunset. Before he approached he studied Barikah. It was funny, he thought, but there seemed to be something different about her. It almost seemed as if she had finally grown into herself. It was true: Barikah had stopped being a filly and instead became a mare. Karsu cared not for why it had happened, but he hoped it meant that she would pick a mate, and if not him, also descended from a noble line, then whom?

She looked up as he approached. "Karsu, if you are even thinking about asking me what I think you are, I _will_ set my father on you." (In truth, Barikah knew Orcinus actually approved of Karsu as a suitable mate, but what Karsu didn't know, couldn't hurt him.)

Karsu may have prided himself on being noble, fit for the daughter of an elemental, but he was certainly not brave. He hightailed it out of Barikah's eyesight, and, if he had his way, would have kept running straight to the other end of the Valley.

Wanip and Barikah laughed long and hard. When they stopped, it was Wanip who spoke first.

"Honestly, Bari, are you _ever_ going to pick a mate?"

Barikah hesitated, then spoke. And while her mouth was saying 'no', her mind was thinking of a small, brown stallion who thought she could jump over the moon.

* * *

China and Spoon were Lovers. They did what all Lovers did; they loved.

* * *

The tale of the Five Friends is still known in the Mortal Realms, if in a slightly abridged version. It goes as follows:

Hey diddle diddle,  
The Cat and the fiddle,  
The Cow jumped over the moon.

The little Dog laughed  
To see such a sight,  
And the Dish ran away  
With the Spoon.


	9. And The Mare Continued Her Work

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Nine: And The Mare continued her work.

This Chapter is dedicated to Readyn-l, who was the first to locate the Shrek Quote.

* * *

Orcinus was counting. He always counted nowadays. Usually just once an hour, but sometimes more. He would graze sometimes, but then he would count again. He would always count. 

First he would count the mares. Then the stallions. Then the foals. Then _all_ the Unicorns in his Herd. Counting, counting, counting. He was always counting. He was in the middle of the mares when he first caught the flash of white in the corner of his eye. The Mare had returned to his Herd.

As Orcinus turned to meet The Mare, he was still counting (Arsa, thirty-nine; Wanip, forty; Barikah, forty-one). He was counting as he looked beyond The Mare (Mar, forty-two; Lila, forty-three; Karris, forty-four). He was counting even as The Mare began her first words (Amel, forty-five; Luli, forty-six; Yanu, forty-seven).

"You're obsessed, Orcinus."

"Does that matter to you?"

"Yes. I still care for you."

Orcinus snorted in reply.

The Mare looked offended. "Fine. Let's pretend I don't care for you. I'd tell you keep counting."

Orcinus obliged (Tara, forty-eight; Nerri, forty-nine; Rirra, fifty).

"But now let's pretend I _do_ care. I would tell you that this is too small a number to count continually. I would also tell you that I can give you a reason not to count."

Orcinus stopped counting and paid attention.

* * *

Aeoleus gazed over his herd. It wasn't right. There weren't only blues, but also grass- and earth- colored foals among the newborns. This wasn't right and it wasn't good, either. It wasn't right and it wasn't good because it made some different. Because of this, some would be better, and some would not be better. Because of this, the Herd of Wind was broken. His Herd might never be right again. Was it even possible to fix a broken wind? Aeoleus twitched an ear thoughtfully. Something else wasn't right. Oh. 

"Hello Mare."

"And I though I was being quiet. That'll teach me some humility."

"You're blocking the breeze."

The Mare glanced up at the still trees, then at the unmoving grass. She shrugged. "I can't fix the wind. But what's bothering you?"

Aeoleus stared out over his Herd. "All the Herds are breaking. They're all falling to pieces." The Mare nuzzled his shoulder.

"I can fix that."

* * *

Disaster, that's what it was, a disaster. Three mares with foals. Three mares with foals without mates. Not to mention the others who had given birth to colored foals and had mates. Terrenus didn't even need to guess to know what had happened. That much was obvious. Disaster. He had been without such a scandal since the long-past days of Alapfem and Minhoca. Disaster, Terrenus thought, with a capital D. 

"All share your problems, Terrenus. All others have their own disasters."

Terrenus wheeled to face The Mare. "How so?"

"Your stallions have been sneaking out alongside your mares. Disgraceful, really."

"And _you_ can do it better." Terrenus said indignantly. As much as he liked The Mare, this was too far. The Mare grinned at him.

"Perhaps so."

* * *

Shining unicorns surrounded the base of the mountain. As they grazed, the unicorns' bright metallic coats reflected the sun against the stone, painting a metallic-tinted rainbow on the mountain. 

The foals gallivanted around, playing games of tag and vanish-and-find. Although the foals didn't care amongst themselves (not yet anyway), there was something that the adults, especially Hephaestus, were concerned about: A number of the foals had coats that did not reflect the sun. They had rocks instead of gems, crystals instead of metals. They were not full Metal foals, but they weren't full something else, either. The adults talked amongst themselves about what to do about the problem; Hephaestus was not there. Hephaestus had been stopped on the way by The Mare.

"But, Mare! They're not mine! Their coats don't shine." Hephaestus cringed, realizing the terrible rhyme he had unwittingly made.

The Mare looked mournfully at the foals playing.

"I can't make them shine. But I _can_ make them glitter."

* * *

The field of the Herd of Solaris was an almost unbroken array of gold. Almost. Here and there were a few mismatched unicorns, none more than a few years old. Some were green, some were blue, and one was even some sort of metallicy, shiny color that Solaris couldn't quite describe. He _was_ certain that it wasn't a derivative of yellow and gold however. The Mare just didn't seem to get that part. 

"It's not funny! Just take them back to where they belong."

"This _is_ their home. Their mothers are here."

"Then take them to their fathers."

"I cannot do that. But I can bring their fathers to here."

Solaris looked flabbergasted. "Here?"

The Mare leaned closer.

"Here."

* * *

Mulciber mused about the recent happening in his Herd. In all the Herds, for the same _must_ be happening with the others' Herds. It was impossible for it not to be happening. The matter he was considering was thus: not all of his unicorns were red. Not nearly close. 

Now, Sapeur's burnt orange foal was obviously a mix with Metal, although Vur's more brilliantly colored carroty filly was more likely to have some Sun blood. The purple colt of Ecran was sired by either an Aeolean or an Orcinian stallion. The deep, blood red Halal, offspring of Tuzben, was probably descended from Terrenus's line. The one heritage the Mulciber could not figure out, for his life, was the long-legged knobby-kneed daughter of Api, who had turned out a strange, sort of teal color. _That_ was bizarre.

Mulciber caught a flash of white in the corner of his eye. The Mare. As predictable as the sun, Mulciber thought. Wherever lives strangeness, so doth The Mare.

"Why?"

"Pardon?"

Mulciber turned. "Don't play coy with me, Mare. You might fool my brothers, but not me."

The Mare was silent for a long time. "How long have you known?"

Mulciber shook his head. "Not long," he acknowledged, "since Arodousna."

The Mare grunted.

"You have to admit, that was sort of obvious."

"Fooled Solaris though."

"But that brings us back to Why."

"Someone had to."

Mulciber's temper shortened considerably. "Mare." He practically spat out the word. "You see that yearling?" Mulciber gestured with his horn towards a plum colored filly. "Born last year, before these ones. The others have driven her out six times. But she comes back; she has nowhere else to go. How many others will suffer her fate?"

The Mare remained silent.

"Mare." Mulciber's voice had softened considerably. "What game are you playing?"

The Mare stretched out her neck and whispered into Mulciber's fiery ear. He pricked his ears, and stood shell-shocked for a moment. The he threw back his head and laughed.

He laughed for a long time. It was a crazy laugh, the kind made from someone who feels like he's been a fool; the answer was right in front of him the entire time.

For, in fact, the answer had been.


	10. Something Had Been Changed

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter 10: Something Had Been Changed

This Chapter is dedicated to the future finder of the LotR Quote.

* * *

The massive field spread out in one end of the Valley, filling the curve of the mountains. It was like nothing any of the Elementals had seen before, despite their frequent wanderings around the Valley. In all their thousands of years, none of them had seen anything like this field. It almost seemed to be breathing, growing, stretching as they watched it. And perhaps it was.

For something had changed.

The jagged stones and narrow trails of the mountains all but seemed to disappear. The forlorn plains that Aeoleus had once run on seemed lusher, cooler, less immense almost. The tall imposing oaks of the forest started to vanish, replaced by orchards and young woods. The harsh thorn bushes and dense underbrush melted away as the forest slowly shrunk into itself. The tall pines and hemlocks that once grew along the river softened into willows and beeches, all soft and unimposing. In fact, the only part of the forest that remained untouched was a small clearing where the river was flat, slow, and wide; where the trees opened to the sun; where the first lost lovers had meet and the first blood had been spilt. Only this remained untouched.

For something had changed.

And while the mountains were still there, as strong and wide and deep as ever, the only part that remained as fierce as they used to be was a deep cave with a black oblong pool. Even the round amethyst pool utilized by Thaya and Eneus and the Five Friends seemed to change as the trees were replaced by willows and the harsh stone by luxurious grass. Only the cave remained as it was.

For something had been changed. Whether by the will of one of the gods, or by Magic, or by the Mare herself, something had been changed. The Valley, once ideal for six individaul, small Herds had been changed.

Now it was ideal for one, large Herd.


	11. The Gathering in the Meadow

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter 11: The Gathering in the Meadow

This Chapter is dedicated to Readyn-1, who is one of my most avid readers.

* * *

The trail was filled with liquid gold. It flowed seamlessly, shining all different shades as the sun hit the different parts of the river. Despite its appearance though, it was not a river, rather a large Herd of Unicorns, all of them some shade of yellow and gold. Their hooves and horns glittered in the noon-day sun as they all walked and jogged to some unknown destination. By some unknown rule, all the unicorns were walking four abreast, usually in two pairs of mates. No one had ordered them to line up like this, but no one moved around. 

Alkaid walked towards the front of the Herd, his mate on the outside and himself next to some stallion he didn't know. Alkaid didn't know where they were going, but he hoped that he reached there soon…the idiot stallion beside him had been singing the entire time, and not making any sense either. He sang only about diddles, daddles, and dallies, or things like that, and didn't sing anything about any legends or stories Alkaid was familiar with. It was really starting to get o his nerves.

* * *

Barikah walked beside Orcinus, chatting and laughing with Wanip beside her. Some others in the Herd talked as well, but most were silent, scared at the new world beside them. Scared of the unknown. Barikah, however, was not scared. She had been into far too many unknowns to be frightened of them. Anyway, what was this but another great adventure? Much like that of her friends, she reflected, grinning at the memory.

* * *

Alkaid stared up the small curve of land. A sort of nervous, apprehension started building up inside of him. He didn't like change, but he hadn't realized that until everything started to change when Solaris had ordered everyone out of the meadow earlier that morning. He hadn't liked the change then, and he still didn't like it now. 

Alkaid tried to ignore the singing stallion beside him, didn't succeed, and the crested the top of the ridge. He stopped, dropped his jaw, and forgot to breathe for a good minute or so.

* * *

Barikah stared at what lay ahead of her. A large Herd of Red unicorns stood toward the edge of the meadow. A pale blue Herd was halfway down the edge of the bowl-like field. The Sun Herd was just starting the side. Barikah's mind raced. If those Herds were here, then surely…. Then there they were – a large group of dirt-colored unicorns, all huddling together nervously. Her eyes raced over them, pausing on a small, average looking Unicorn. She whinnied and then took off, ignoring her father's bellows of rage behind her. And in her ears, she heard someone laughing.

* * *

Alkaid saw a pale and dark funny-colored mare spilt off from one of the blue herds. Her long mane and tail streamed out behind her and for just a moment, Alkaid forgot her strange coloring and saw how graceful she was. 

The stallion beside him had stopped mid-song and was staring at the mare. For a moment Alkaid was glad, but then the stallion threw back his head and laughed manically.

* * *

Barikah might have been the first (in many ways), but others followed (also in many ways). Several mares with young foals at their sides ran to their true mates. Then the loners ran. A mate less mare from the brown Herd ran to a newly arrived Metal stallion. A golden mare cantered to a red stallion. Two blue unicorns from separate Herds meet each other in the middle of the clearing and ran circles around each other, nuzzling and exchanging greetings.

* * *

And in the middle of it all was The Mare. 


	12. Greetings of Lovers Old and New

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter 12: Greetings of Lovers Old and New

* * *

This Chapter is dedicated to Princess Brianna-Jane, who has long since earned her dedication. Actually, Jane-Bri, do you have an e-mail or anything? Or maybe you could just review and tell me something. I really liked your ideas, but who is the Dawn Princess?

* * *

All of the Herds were in the still-growing meadow, all intermingling and wandering around each other. Many young foals saw their sires for the first time on that day. Friends introduced each other to mates in other Herds, and old lovers sought each other out.

A stocky Terrenus stallion and a tall blue and white mare picked their way through the Sun Herd. The both felt miserably out of place, but they had to find their friend.

Alkaid watched with a resentful look on his face as the duo approached. What in the Valley could they want here? The stallion next to Alkaid shook out his darker colored mane and grinned. For a second Alkaid thought that he was going to sing again, and two seconds later he wished he had.

"Hey, lovesick songbirds! Over here!"

The mismatched pair trotted over to the yellow-bay stallion, who had nuzzled his mate to turn around. "Anria, this is Barikah and Canis, sea and land respectively. Bari, Cane, my mate, Anria."

"A pleasure," the yellow mare replied respectfully, but still very confused as to why she was being introduced to such strange unicorns.

Panthera offered little in the way of explanation. "We, uh, met before…and, mmm, and had to help out a coupla friends." He hesitated, seeing Anria's expression. "Nothing happened, of course. Oh….uh, hello."

Panthera has stopped talking to his friends and mate; now he is addressing none other than Solaris, and no introductions need be made for him. Solaris glanced sideways at Barikah and Canis. "Hadn't seen him since three, aye?"

"Uh, yeah about that….would you believe that I actually told the truth there?"

"Not likely."

Panthera gulped. "Great."

Solaris smiled his annoying know-it-all grin. "I knew you'd think so." He stalked off; trying to get a count of exactly how many of his had left for other mates. The other Elementals were doing the same, as if they could reclaim some of their honor by doing so. With time, the Herds mingled even more, so much so that they might be called a Herd; the Herd. By the end of the slowly passing Valley week, all the color bands had broken down. Little remained of the Herds that were. All remained of the Herd that is.

And The Mare completed her work.


	13. Imagine

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter 13: Imagine

* * *

If you wish to foresee the future, imagine a valley, caught in between imposing, impenetrable mountains, but filled with lushness. Imagine a paradoxical heaven, comprised of rolling vales of luxurious grass, crunchy flowers, spreading orchards, and a single strand of challenging forest…. 

Imagine a herd, the Herd, of Unicorns who number as the stars, whose coats are the colors of the very paints that the Supreme Ruler used to create the worlds. Imagine tottering foals, encouraged by their dams and protected by their sires. Imagine six Stallions of regal beauty and immortal strength. Imagine all content to spend their lives in a place untouched by snow, ignored by rain, and forgotten by death. Imagine a world that seems to be made woven solely of magic; so great in harmony are its creatures…

Imagine…

Imagine and you will see. Imagine and one would think that all is safe, all is well, no more will the Valley be torn so much as it was. Imagine, if you will, if you care, if you wish…just imagine….

But behold the paradox: lightning will strike in a land untouched by rain.

Stormy times lie ahead.


	14. The Gathering of the Storm

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter 14: The Gathering Storm

* * *

This chapter is dedicated to the victims of all hurricanes, especially Katrina and the upcoming Ophelia.

* * *

In the time after the mixing, yet before the great wars to come, a new generation of unicorns emerged. These were the unicorns who knew no other life than that of rainbow herd. Among these were the Storms. 

The Storms were a throwback to old days, created by one who hated the single herd, and joined by those who knew not what the split Valley had been like. The Storms resembled a miniature herd in all but one way: as all offspring of wind or water, the Storms ranged in color from pale blue to almost black, from brilliant hues to almost gray shades. Despite this mixed heritage, the Storms viewed themselves of blood as pure as the Elementals themselves. They scorned those who refused to join them and spent much of their time away from the Herd in the Valley. Inside their own mini-herd, they had their own leader, Boreas, a large water stallion with very little true Orcinus blood. He was a strict totalitarian leader, yet all yearned to follow him.

The formation of the Storms rocked the leaders of the Valley. Even those who did not see where this path would lead were frightened at the sudden separation. Those who _did _see what the formation of the Storms meant would have wept if they had time. As it was, they did not, for after the Storms, soon the Bonfires, the Surfs, the Ores, and the Comets all wanted to separate themselves. The leaders of the Herd worked tirelessly to prevent this from happening, but sadly, they did not always succeed.

The reason they wept was thus: The Herd, so newly forged, had already broken. Would it fracture more?

o_l_o

Boreas himself had a young, sprightly filly, Avrinna. Avrinna was young, careful, and innocent enough to think that the Storms were just a game.

Boreas' second-in-command was much younger than the ornery leader himself. He was a wind stallion by the name of Zephyr, and his coat was one of the grayer hues of the Storms. He and his best friend, Skwall, had been members of the Storms since they had been allowed to wander by themselves. Boreas had all but adopted Zephyr, and treated him like his own son.

Time passed, as Time is wont to do. Avrinna turned into a beautiful young mare while Zephyr became a charmer. As fate's favorite game is love, the two grew in each other sight. At first they fooled around with their love. Then they held trysts in the dark of night. It was in one of these night meetings that they were observed by one of Boreas' advisors. Although this unicorn (his name, may you mark it, is Lotaringe) was unable to see who she was with, he was confident that the mare was none other than Avrinna. Lotaringe fled before he was noticed and reported, naturally, to Boreas. Boreas managed to control his temper, although he confronted his daughter upon her return. He demanded to know whom she had met. Avrinna kept her silence, but feared her father would soon discover her lover. Afraid she was being followed, Avrinna sent the ever faithful Skwall to warn Zephyr. Zephyr, fearful of Boreas' wrath, fled and hid deep in the mountains, far from Boreas' long reach. He fleeing only served to confirm the leader's suspicions.

Time passed still, as Time is loath to stop. Avrinna, despite Boreas' wishes, would choose not other for a mate, adamant that her heart was broken. Boreas himself was no longer young. Fearful that he would not see his line continue, Boreas finally, at long last, consented to Avrinna's choice of mate.

Avrinna, needless to say, was overjoyed.

She begged Skwall, the only one who knew Zephyr's exact location to find him and bring him back. "Skwall," she called, "tell Zephyr father said 'yes.' Tell him he said 'yes!'"

Skwall was well-known as the fastest unicorn in the Valley, and would have run to the moon if the lady had asked. Skwall ran hard all night, and by dawn, had reached Zephyr's mountain hideaway. Skwall eagerly conveyed his message, and Zephyr set out for the Storms, Skwall running eagerly at his side.

However, Zephyr was large and muscular, and as any sprinter knows, muscle adds time. So the stallion, fearing was much slower than his fast-as-the-wind counterpart. As he traveled, he began to fear an irrational thought; one that Avrinna would stop waiting for him. Therefore, Zephyr implored Skwall to run ahead, and the wind stallion obliged. Skwall ran over the mountains, across the Valley, and through the woods. When he reached the Storms, his flanks heaved, his breath grated harshly, and his grayish blue coat was white with lather. He found Avrinna fretting over Zephyr, oh, what if he found someone else, what if wasn't true, what if and what if and all those other little worries and fears that eat away at you. Skwall found Avrinna, reassured her, and delivered his message.

And Skwall's heart, as big and loyal as it was, gave out.

Avrinna and Zephyr lived long and happy enough lives with the rest of their herd. Still today they gallop across the sky, hooves clattering and scraping on the stone of mountains that once bought them time. Sometimes, in memory of the friend who brought them together, Zephyr and Avrinna run fast, coming in and out in a flash of lightning. Indeed, as storm that comes quickly, stays hard, and leaves just as fast is called a squall.

As for Skwall himself, perhaps he is remembered better than the lovers. As a reward for his loyalty, the Supreme Ruler gave him wings, so that Skwall would never be forced to run along the ground. Still now and forevermore, Skwall runs among the stars.

* * *

AN: I am terribly, awfully, dreadfully, appallingly, gallingly, remorsely, exasperatingly, horrifically, insertadjectiverhere-ly sorry for the time that will be occurring between chapters. I assure you, I will not stop. Don't be fooled by the Gaps (pun intended) caused by my intense load of schoolwork. In the meantime, you could check out my poems, written about various topics of Balinor. If you like those, I have some more poems on fiction press .com (the link to my homepage). I also have Eragon poems published on check the profile. If poetry's not your thing, why not try my Harry Potter story? If you like that, check out the Adventures of Stuart Door on Fiction Press, once again seeing the link in my homepage. If you really don't care for that either, I guess you'll just have to twiddle your thumbs until I post the next chapter. 


	15. The Lords

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter 15: The Lords

This Chapter is dedicated to Jubes2008.

* * *

In the time of the Great Mixing, as it has come to be known, many new colors were simply born into existence as all the unicorns met and mated. Many shades, such as black white, green orange, and razzmatazz yellow, were seen only on their respective unicorns and no where else. But a few colors grew a multiplied and eventually, the Lords arose. 

The first of the Tree Lords was Cypress. His mane was a foamy, mossy color and hung off of his neck like Spanish moss off of an oak tree. His coat was a green-streaked brown. His coat was just as soft as his fellow Herd members, but its thickness and uneven lengths gave it the rough appearance of bark rough enough to chaff your skin. His gem was green zircon, a pale shade that matched his coat. It was his hooves that set him apart. Cypress was the first unicorn to have wood horn and hooves. They were oak, hard enough to last, wooden enough to click the ground. Cypress, though you couldn't tell it from his coat, was a mix of Earth, Sky, and Sun. As trees are the union of these three elements, it was only fitting for Cypress to be referred to as The Tree Lord. In time others like him were born, each representing a different tree or bush. However, Cypress was the first; therefore he became the 'founder' of the Tree Lords.

The first of the Desert Lords was Orken. Orken, he of the pale orange coat, aragonite hooves, and hessonite gem, had the light frame and build now reminiscent of desert unicorns in the Mortal Realms. He flourished during the hot summer months and froze during the slight cooling. As fitting of the Desert, Orken was descended from Fire and Sun. His heirs still posses the small orange eyes that are also characteristic of Solaris's clan. Unlike Cypress, Orken was not the first to be born with his color; rather he was the first to have foals breed true to his color. This made him the foundation of the Desert.

The first of the Dusk Lords was Iris. Iris was fair with a brilliant purple coat the same shade as her namesake. Yellow eyes from her Sun dam contrasted with her Wind sire's white mane. Iris was the first violet unicorn of the Herd; thus she was considered Lord, despite the minor fact that she was in fact a mare.

Many things resulted from the creation of the Lords. The first to come to mind is the beginning of the Council, the aristocracy, one might say, of the Herd. Eventually, they would be among the leaders of the Herd.

The second that comes to mind is the color that each new Lord brought to the Valley. Cypress of the Tree brought the Green Band into being, Orken of the Desert founded the Orange Band, and Iris of Dusk was dam to the Purple Band. Who knew? Maybe, albeit with time, the Herd might become a rainbow. Roy G. Biv could possibly take up a permanent residence.

* * *

AN: Okay, so I post this nice long apology about how there'll be so much time between my chapters and what not, and then I go and post something like six chapters in a row. No, I'm not losing it. The Bloody (K-rating, after all) canceled two days of school (state-wide) for no Bloody (once again rated K) reason. And why is this a bad thing? It really messes with my schedule, and now, instead of a take home quiz and a test on Monday, I have a take-home Quix and four tests on Wednesday, which happens also to be the Graduation Test Day (again, State-wide). Bureacracy at it best, huh? So, I'm writing now, getting grounded on about Friday when I get my test grades back, and probably won't be able to write for another week or so. Just giving you a heads up. 

Hopefully, this is the last time you'll here from me.


	16. The Tale That Follows

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter 16: The Tale That Follows

* * *

Some would argue that the tale of they who follow is not as important as it is said to be. Some would say that regardless of when, it would have happened. Some would say that even if it didn't, _he_ would have found another way in. Some would say that if it was not done by these ones, then it would have been done by others. Perhaps they say true. Perhaps they don't.

We may never know.

The tale that follows after may seem highly irrelevant to the tale that is being told. The tale that follows may seem out of place, lost, and confused. It may seem to be a tale of coincidences, too many to be true in reality. But in the broad view of things, it is needed in the same way that a door needs a key, buried treasure needs a map, and a secret needs to be told.

What happens next is pivotal, despite what some would say. In the next few fables, the tales of many will be decided by the wishes of a few. These wishes will result in the deaths of many, lives of many, the pain of many, and the hate of many. Without these next few tales, I would go so far as to venture the idea that none of these chronicles would even exist.

Maybe you should decide for yourself.


	17. The Leader and the Waiter

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Seventeen: The Leader and the Waiter

* * *

This Chapter is dedicated to Melody Bridge, another older reviewer who never got her dedication.

* * *

The remnants of the Five had gathered in the middle of the Herd as dusk set. Anria was near by – Panthera rarely left her side now that her swollen belly looked large enough to hold a full-grown Unicorn. Barikah was also with foal, and Canis was eagerly awaiting its birth – what would a blue and white cross with a brown come out looking like? Nearby foals of various colors frolicked. Barikah was glad to see them so happy, for they had come close to never meeting others than those of their same color. 

Unfortunately, in contrast to the happiness surrounding them, the Friends' moods were sober. Barikah, who had taken up the habit of checking in on their 'vanished' friends every week, was distraught. China and Arodousna, who had so often appeared in the water as a happily galloping couple, had disappeared from her sight. "Perhaps," Canis had dared to venture, "Perhaps they aren't living anymore. They are in the Mortal Realms, after all."

None of them had spoken for some time after that. They stood in silence, in memory of those who had gone to a place the others could not comprehend, for they had no knowledge, no legends, no tales of such a place. They stood as the dusk slowly descended, as darkness slowly conquered the world again.

* * *

He waited. He always waited. As his father had waited before him, and his father before him, he waited. He had long ago had the lesson of patience drilled into his head. He waited.

* * *

The Six Elementals had gathered in The Mare's cave. They had all arrived individually; they had all arrived clueless as to why they were there. Each one had picked his way around the pool filled with black water. Occasionally, one of them would cough to muffle the monotonous 

…drip….drip….drip…drip….drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…

of the water falling into the Pool. But finally, after they were all there, The Mare appeared. It wasn't that she walked in, or that she emerged from the shadows, she just simply appeared. If the Elementals weren't used to that ability of The Mare, they would have stood flabbergasted, but they are all used to her tricks. Rather, they stand flabbergasted at her words.

"I am leaving. One of you must rule."

After their initial shock, during which all that can be heard is the

…drip….drip….drip…drip….drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…

of the water falling into the Pool, Terrenus breaks the silence. "_What_?"

The Mare smiles, as she so often does. "I am old. I feel myself aging. I don't want the Herd to be left without a leader. But should all of you rule, the Herd will go back to the Herds before. One of you will rule. I am going outside now. When you come back out, for sometime you must, you will have chosen from among yourselves. The last one out will become the ruler of the Herd." With that, she leaves the Elementals standing in her wake, all staring incredulously as her tail slowly retreats towards daylight at the mouth of the cave. The Elementals are left behind, trying to ignore the strange things around them; trying to pretend that they can't hear the

…drip….drip….drip…drip….drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…

of the water falling into the Pool. And then, the fighting begins.

* * *

He waits. His son stands outside his door, shifting from foot to foot. He ignores him. His son, still no more than a boy, will learn patience with time. As his father waited before him, his son will wait after him. Perhaps his son's son as well. But he himself is mostly immortal and can afford to wait. After all, he has all the time in the worlds.

* * *

Terrenus knows he won't lead. He doesn't want to lead and when it comes time to rejoin the Herd, Terrenus knows he will be the first to leave the cave. Still, they are no closer to finding a leader then when The Mare had left them. Solaris and Mulciber are still going at it; Hephaestus supporting the former; Orcinus and Aeoleus undecided, but being twins, will most likely side the same. During a lull in the debating Terrenus can once again clearly hear the incessant 

…drip….drip….drip…drip….drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…

of the water falling into the Pool. Terrenus thinks that is the perfect time-keeper and he wonders how long the water has been dripping, each drop slaying another second of precious time.

"You could never lead! Your temper will be your undoing!" That was Solaris, throwing yet another insult at his opponent Mulciber. This one though, Terrenus thinks, is true enough. Mulciber's temper is notorious through out the Valley. As Mulciber tosses a similarly insulting truth back at Solaris, Terrenus realizes that this will escalate into a blood feud if it is not stopped. While there cannot be two leaders of the Herd, the choosing can still not be bitter. Terrenus nudges Orcinus, and then walks out the mouth of the cave. Aeoleus follows his twin. Hephaestus is reluctant to leave, but relents and follows his brothers out. For a while Solaris and Mulciber are left by themselves, their only company the unremitting

…drip….drip….drip…drip….drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…

of the water falling into the Pool. Minutes pass before they realize they are alone. When it is noticed, their argument stops

abruptly

and the two stare at each other. They try to will the other out of the cave first. Neither succeeds. Ultimately it is Mulciber who proposes the compromise. It is Mulciber because he knows that neither will win without and agreement; it is Mulciber because he knows his temper and Solaris does not know his; it is Mulciber because he has the patience that Solaris lacks: he can wait.

Mulciber surrenders the lead of the Herd to Solaris, on the condition that the Fire Stallion is second in everything, on the condition that should something happen to the Sun Stallion, Mulciber will rule. He does not intend to pull any tricks and make sure that something happens to the Sun, no, both are too noble for such low tricks. Rather, Mulciber feels it better to be prepared then not to be. So it is Mulciber who leads the way out of the cave, and it is Solaris who leads the Herd.

* * *

He waits. It will come sometime. The two have told him that much, even if they did not say it outright. It will come, if not in this lifetime, then the next. So he waits. He waits for everything. He waits.

* * *

The Mare watches as Terrenus arrived from inside the cave. A few moments later, Orcinus materialized, followed by the pales Aeoleus. After a long pause Hephaestus steps into the light. The Mare nods. It is between Solaris and Mulciber, then. Both would make good leaders. As no one emerges, The Mare realized that they hadn't chosen, that the duo is still battling it out inside the cave. She sees Terrenus' work in this – he acknowledges that they too must work together for the Herd to stay in tact. A forceful change of leadership will destroy the Valley. 

A flash of color draws everyone's sight back to the cave. It is Mulciber; stepping proudly, head high, not looking anyone in the eye. He is followed by Solaris, and The Mare recognizes their chose.

Once again The Mare's cave is as empty as before, as vacancy as any other cave, as devoid of life as a shadow is of light. And still a sound ticks invariably from its depths. It is the

…drip….drip….drip…drip….drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…drip…

of the water falling into the Pool, counting down the time...

* * *

He waits, using all of his patience. He has waited this long, a few decades will not make any difference. He waits, for he has nothing else to do, except lecture his son and maybe take his mate to sleep with at night. This is the game that he plays, that his life was made for. He waits. 


	18. The Rainbow

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Eighteen: The Rainbow

* * *

Solaris was elated; Mulciber, impressed; the Mare, gratified. At long last. The Rainbow. The remnants of the Fires were at the far left, with the Deserts to the right and the Suns even more right. The Suns were bordered by the Trees, who were in turn edged by Wind and Water, who themselves had the Dusks on _their_ right. The lighter colors were in the front, closest to the mountains, and the darker colors were in the back, closest to the small forest. Metal unicorns were spaced all around, depending upon their coat color and Terrenus's Herd, the darkest of all colors, was arranged along the back. The Rainbow.

It was beautiful. It was magnificent. It was elaborate. It was the greatest work any one could have dreamed of. It matched the Mare's vision exactly.

To the Unicorns that comprised the Rainbow, they were but a group of Unicorns. However, the mortals in the Mortal Realms gasped with wonder as they looked up at the colors. And the Supreme Ruler, looking out of his window towards the Valley was so pleased that he smiled for the first time in a long time. His grin was imprinted upon the sky in the Valley, and the Crystal Arch – itself a rainbow of crystals – was the gift he gave to the Valley, the Unicorns, and, most of all, to the Mare.

Solaris was elated, for this showed that his rule was complete. Mulciber was impressed that his brother had managed to get all the Unicorns to work together. The Mare was gratified and retired to her cave for the last time.


	19. Sirani's Dreams

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Nineteen: Sirani's Dreams

* * *

Eons upon eons before this tale, when Sirani embarked upon her quest to make her dreams reality, her wanderings brought her through many different worlds. 

In one of them, the one that goes my many names, Sirani tied to pay homage to the Mare, her long-time friend. She created a creature that all but resembled the Mare, possessing the same build but for the horn. It was loyal and true. It had all of the spirit and grace that the Mare had claimed, but lacked in Magic. She left the creature unnamed, but the people of that world created named for the stallions and mares that wandered their land, and they too, affected the world. The creatures gave the men of this world everything, from meat, to clothing, to transportation. In time, the animals grew into all shapes and sizes, usually named for their land of origin. The one from Clydesdale was truest to the Mare's gentleness; the one from Arabia, closest to her grace; the one from Friesland, closest to her power; the one from Andalusia, closet in color and ability. Perhaps, though, the onemost like the Mare was never created by Sirani, though it is found in the backyards of many younglings across the lands of that world. However, Sirani, saddened by her failure to make a true representation of her one true friend, departed in sadness and did not try again for many worlds.

But she did try again, this time, in the land of the Mortal Realms.

In this world only, Sirani tried once, and only once, again to honor her long time friend, The Mare. However, she could not replicate the Mare's power, grace, and purity all at once. She tried, and she failed. The animal she created was even closer to the look of the Mare, this time possessing the horn, size, and strength of the Mare, but it was overbearing, arrogant, lacking in magic, and possessed an unrivaled temper. They were so hateful of all other creatures that they became known as "The Wild Ones." Indeed, all of the traits Sirani had valued so highly in the Mare had been lost, only to be replaced by this mere mockery. Distraught, Sirani refused to try again.

The world of the Mortal Realms thus remained barren of the magic unicorn.

* * *

edited: 11/10/2005 


	20. The Tale of Acheates and Adonis

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Twenty: The Tale of Acheates and Adonis

* * *

This Chapter is dedicated to Dorcha-Solas.

* * *

Barikah's floating trot carried her past Panthera's colt. He looked almost exactly like his father, just a shade lighter and with brilliant white stocks on each leg. He had been named Adonis, and luckily for the Herd, was lacking in his father's sense of humor. Barikah didn't think the Herd could withstand another singer of nonsense songs. Adonis was playing with other foals, and Barikah grinned at his choice of friends – a brown, two blues, and another yellow. The yellow colt was probably Adonis's best friend. He was Acheates, and was the favored Arkim's son. The duo had, it seemed, become adjoined at the barrel recently, and on was never seen without the other. They were as good friends as Chinawksul and Panthera had been once upon a yesterday, Barikah reflected. 

Barikah still followed the path into the mountains, still visited the Pool, still searched for her friends although she knew in her heart that she would never find them. Sometimes, Barikah would leave when she failed; other times she would stare at any beauty she could find the Mortal Realms. She felt it easier to sneak away since the Mixing, but still she was cautious. And still, though she didn't realize it, she was followed.

* * *

Adonis and Acheates. Acheates and Adonis. They are more then friends; they are brothers, in heart, in spirit, in mind. Both born of the Sun line, they unwittingly resemble the pair that Adonis' father once made: a royal of the Sun, a descendant of the sun. They are closer than Adonis' father was to Chinawksul, if possible. They are closer then Orcinus and Aeoleus, the very definition of friendship. Never has there been a pair of greater brothers then the pair of Acheates and Adonis. Nor has there ever been such a great pair of trouble makers. 

They know many things. More then once they have listened in on the Council of the Elementals without being caught. More then once they followed the Lords to the Council of the Herd. More then once they pursued a pale and dark mare into the woods. More then once they have tried her pool of water; more then once has Adonis found it within his ability to see the Mortal Realms. And several times more then once has the duo gotten in trouble for their doings.

It is after one these particularly long and boring how-dare-you-dishonor-this-family lectures that the two decide to take their revenge on their parents. Acheates, coached in the art of politics as he is Arkim's son, maneuvers Adonis into a position where the topic of the Mortal Realms comes up. Acheates, sly as he is the son of Arkim, plants the idea in Adonis' head that _they_ should go to Mortal Realms, just for fun. And why not? It stands to reason that the Pool can be 'left open' behind them, so therefore they can get back through.

This is what it is like to be Adonis at the moment:

Youhave the power to do anything you want. For once, you are the best. For once you are needed for more then just a distraction. You can make your best friend in the entire universe happy, pay him back for all the times that he's helped you. You are of age, and have no obligation to answer to any but Solaris now. You have the power to ignore everything you hated about your childhood. You have the ability to take revenge on your father and on the unicorn your father so lovingly calls jerk. You can do anything…if you want. You can have another adventure;this timewhere no one can follow. You can be the leader this time. You can do this forever. You can do it all. And why not? Why not indeed.

* * *

There is the slim chance that the dice may be thrown and that someone will catch them. There is every possibility that Barikah will choose _this_ day to go to the Pool. And in Fate's miraculous game of probability, it is more likely that they will end up not going then it is you will be struck by lightning. If even just one were to happen…. 

There would be no story.

* * *

The dice _are_ thrown. 

By some working of Fate, Acheates and Adonis went to the Pool, or really, went through the Pool. By some manipulation of Adonis's the Pool remained a two-way portal. By some odd possibility, Barikah gave up searching for friends. By some chance, they remained unfound for a very, very long time.

* * *

Please Review. Who knows? Maybe you'll get a chapter dedication. 


	21. The Curse of the Wayward Prince

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Twenty One: The Curse of the Wayward Prince

* * *

This Chapter is dedicated to whomever reads this chapter first.

* * *

By the time they were found, they didn't care anymore. They had other lives now, lives on the other side of the Pool. They cared naught for the Valley and its battles anymore. The pair of Acheates and Adonis had many tales of their own. They had their own tragedies, they had their own comedies. They had their own dramas, they had their own loves. But each tale may only be told at its own time. And theirs is another tale. 

However, this much can be said. The Mortal Realms were not what they expected. They had to elude predators, find food, and bargain with Death. They also found something that they did not think they'd find. They found Man. Acheates and Adonis found an emotion that none of those before them has found. They found pity.

Pity for the two-legger man, who is forced to hunt, move in herds of their own to find food. Pity for the furless man, who is forced to freeze in the winter. Pity for the friendless man, who has no beasts of burden, no one to share the load. Pity for the angry man, who wages constant war on their neighbors, fellow men.

Acheates and Adonis then befriended two men, scarcely of age themselves. Their names were immortalized beyond even those of Solaris. They were brothers, as strongly connected as Acheates and Adonis, but also bonded by blood. These boys, who became men, were Balisul and Jessaro. The Unicorns and the Men traveled together. They forged peace, fought wars of unity, sowed crops, and domesticated animals. Time passed even more quickly in this world, something happened to the Unicorns and the Men. They were, as the event was soon termed, Bonded. These ties were even stronger then ones that came before.

And the Pool remained open.

Strange things began to happen. A group of men, naming themselves Sorcerers emerged, their power outstripping all others. Witchcraft and wizardry became common. And, as the Bonded Ones passed by, the animals began to talk. At first, they were solitary instances, deemed the work of the devil. Soon it was common. And still the Pool stayed open.

The two pairs of Bonded Man and Unicorns went on to do great deeds. Terrible and Great. Great and Terrible. They though, are another tale for another night.

The Pairs did achieve great feats. All the lands east and west of the White Mountains were united into one land, one Empire of Terra. Trade flourished as all roads were safe to travel. The Sorcerers, though powerful were restrained, all lived in peace. All, that is, except for the house of Royalty. Unfortunately, The Brothers began to fight, as all brothers do. In an angry rage, the elder Jessaro stormed out, taking Adonis with him. The Bonded pair founded Jessenor, Jesse's Land, in the north. The former owners of the land despised them and their Southern ways, and the two groups battled constantly over the land. Balisul and Acheates, finding themselves alone, founded their own country. The empire of Terra collapsed, fell apart, and the White Mountains once again divided the land.

And still the Pool stayed open.

Although initially angry at the others for leaving, Balisul and Acheates found that Jessenor acted as a buffer from the raiding barbarians of the north. Discovering that they no longer needed to maintain an army, the Pair began using their money in other ways, lavishing in the life of the rich. As Balisul's army ran rampant upon his land, he surveyed his lands from inside thick stone walls. As Adonis fought for his adopted people, Acheates relaxed, confident that none could penetrate Castle Sulach.

And yet the Pool stayed open.

Finally, the people of Bali's land petitioned the Supreme Ruler for help, as in this time of Great Magic the doors between the worlds were constantly opening and shutting. The Supreme Ruler, dismayed at seeing one from his majestic Herd so arrogant in his ways, cursed Acheates.

One of the line of Balisul must always Bond with one from Acheates former Herd. This Unicorn, condemned to a Mortal Life, would be forced to remember Acheates 'treason' of his Herd. In time it was found that this Unicorn of the Rainbow Herd held a certain power over the animals and that his absence would cause the Magic to fail and the animals to lapse into silence yet again. Adonis and Jessaro were spared from this fate, but the magic of Bali's Land continued to 'wash' over the frozen forests of the north.

And the Pool was shut. It had stayed open just long enough though, that he no longer had to wait.

And the Pool stayed shut, until most forgot that it could be opened, bringing great misery upon the Valley and the Rainbow Herd.

This curse, the one bestowed upon those who followed after Acheates and Balisul became known as The Curse of the Wayward Prince, for had Acheates not so corrupted Adonis, these things would not have come to pass. However, the country this curse applied to rose to power and still today, The Curse of the Wayward Prince still rules Balinor.


	22. Thus was the Tale

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Twenty Two: Thus was the Tale

* * *

Thus was the Tale upon which the worlds turn. What has been done cannot be undone. What has been said cannot be unsaid. What has been learned cannot be unlearned, save 'cept in Death.

Was it important? Or was it not? I leave that for you to decide. Remember those who were cursed, yet also remember the patience of The Waiter. Was it important? Or was it not?

Yes, No, Maybe so –

For who knows what we really know:

Who is right and who is wrong?

We may know when Time is gone.


	23. The Unicorns of Terra

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Twenty Three: The Unicorns of Terra

* * *

When Acheates and Adonis arrived in the land which became the Empire of Terra, which became the Kingdoms of Jessenor and Balinor and Rekia, there was but one type of Unicorn. 

The Wild Ones.

The Wild Ones refused to help man even in their gravest plight. They hid among their trees, content in their ways. After the arrival of Acheates and Adonis, everything changed.

A few Wild Ones, lured out of hiding by Adonis and Acheates, began to travel with man. Eventually these unicorns developed into two types: the Worker, he of strong and stocky stature, hardworking and wide in the whither; and the Athletic, he of the tall and light build, fast and elegant. These unicorns populated the countries of man.

With time, Rainbow unicorns bred with Working unicorns and Athletic unicorns to create the Royal Unicorns, found only in the Royal Stables of Balinor. Possessing the same gem as their forefathers, the Royals came in a variety of builds and heights, all loyal and enduring, all capable of some small magics. Their coats were a combination of Rainbow and Wild patterns, resulting in usual and uncommon varieties.

Another unicorn type was the Rekian. Descending from Morstan, a Worker-Athletic cross, the Rekians traveled with merchants across the White Mountains. Morstan's offspring developed to his same body type, and selective breeding resulted in a pure white unicorn. Their manes stuck up and their tales landed straight at the hocks. They were usually silent, though, as if the White Mountains, stretching from north to south, blocked the 'washing over' of magic from Balinor.

* * *

Then there was a sixth type of unicorn. These were the Shadows. They differed from the others in that they were solely of Valleyian descent. They were the Fallen, the Cursed.

* * *

Why they fell is but another chapter of this tale.


	24. The Colorless Foal

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Twenty Four: The Colorless Foal

In the deep of the forest a lone Unicorn stood panting in the summer heat. Her coat, a bizarre mix of dark and pale blues, was streaked with the off-white stench of lather. Her sides, which once endowed her with grace enough to rival her mother, were now bulky and cumbersome. Barikah fell to her knees before rolling onto her side. Her foal had come.

Barikah was the beginning and in the beginning. She was the beginning in more ways then one; and she was where it had begun for the Friends, and for Izquierda and Derecho long before the Five. For although Solaris had requested none wander off after the recent disappearance of Acheates and Adonis, Barikah felt compelled to have her foal in the clearing. After her first three were miscarriages, this foal was bound to live, had to live. And Barikah still thought that perhaps this clearing, where the river was slow and broad, had the deepest of all powers, and perhaps they could save her foal. This place was, after all, the place where it all began, so it was only fitting that her foal, the one that _would_ live, Barikah thought confidently, that her foal be dropped here, in honor of China and Spoon.

She felt the contractions ripple up her side. She whinnied in pain before she could stop herself. None must find this place, Barikah thought. None. So she lay in silence; the summer day only broken by the panting and breathing of the heavily pregnant mare. And then it was over. And Barikah knew that this one had lived.

Her heart leapt. A foal of her own. Her own. Hers and Canis's foal. She grinned and wearily climbed to her feet. What color would it be, this mix of pale and dark, of Sea and Land? What color would her Allesion filly or Kolsant colt be?

Barikah bent to lick her foal, but her breath caught in her throat. She had never seen anything like it. As far as she knew, she was the palest, except for the Mare, and even Barikah had some color to her pale blue. But the filly that lay in front of her was white. No, not white, for white would not look so out of place in this world. Why, many Unicorns had socks or blazes or were paints due to the mixing. But her foal, her living filly Allesion, was pure white, paler, if possible then the Mare. The foal that lay on the ground was colorless.

Yes, it is fitting that all begins in this clearing.


	25. The Rainbow: Results

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Twenty Five: The Mixing of the Rainbow: Results

The world of color. Such a fascinating place to explore. Mix red with blue and you get purple. Mix red and yellow and you get orange. Yellow and blue and you get green. But mix read and green and you get black. Mix yellow with purple and you get black. Mix blue with orange and you get black. But then you cycle back to the eternal question: where, where, where does black fall in the Rainbow?

Thus the seeds of hate are planted. Behold and read the wonders of these seeds.


	26. The Twilights

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Twilights

* * *

Because I once again, almost essentially nicked this from "A Test of Time," I dedicate this chapter to Talkofthetwoneva4. You should read her stories, too. They're really quite good.

* * *

They grazed on the outskirts of the Valley, where the grass was tough and stringy and the water tasted strongly of metallic properties. Their hooves made sparks when they slid down the stony mountains. And as the sun slowly sank below the high horizon, the Valley was cloaked in darkness and they who grazed on the Valley's edge became invisible in the night.

These are the Twilights.

There are the Twilights whose coats are as dark as coffee grinds, but not yet as dark as night. These are they whose kinship is not bound by blood, but rather by soul and by spirit. These are they who are Unicorn by birth, Twilight by choice. These are they who live in fear of Solaris and in awe of what lies beyond the mountains. These are they. These are the Twilights.

The look out stands perched upon a steep rise. His leader insisted upon look outs, lest an Elemental sneak up upon the Twilights and try to destroy them once and for all. Most times the only things that wander by the look outs are foals playing or occasionally, a blue and white mare. But toady is different.

For today, _he_ comes. He is different, not like the others of the Valley. He is neither Twilight nor Herd nor Storm, nor any of the other groups that roam the Valley. It stands to reason that He is not even a Unicorn. He has its shape, true enough. He wields a brand of magic that the Unicorns have, though they themselves do not realize it just yet. He blends in with the night, yet is darker then the Twilights. He is himself. He is the waiter.

The Waiter arrives and confronts the look-out, demanding to meet the leader. The look-out is instantly intimidated by The Waiter, and summons his leader. The leader of the band of Twilight is Moloth.

This is Moloth.

This is Moloth, power hungry and looking for the kingship that he has no right to have. This is Moloth, so far the darkest of the Twilights, with his sire's red Fire coat mixing with a mare's coat of all colors. This is Moloth, son of none other than Mulciber's heir, sporting the same ruby-red eyes that the Elemental lays claim to. This is Moloth, of powerful build; tall and strong, long-legged and deep-chested; but jug headed and parrot-mouthed. This is Moloth, with height and strength enough to challenge an Elemental, and, perhaps, win, but neither has fallen that far yet. This is Moloth, possessing his grandsire's temper, although he cannot control it nearly as well. This is Moloth, and Moloth he shall remain.

And Moloth meets with The Waiter. And this is what transpires.

The Waiter speaks frankly to Moloth. He has chosen the Twilights because they are the best, the fastest, the strongest, and the most dedicated. He has chosen the Twilights because their leader is admirable and the Storms are already in decline. He has chosen the Twilights, and he begs for the Twilights to choose him. The Waiter has had many years to practice this speech. He mixes just enough flattery in with the truth to impress the leader of the Twilights. And then he offers Moloth an offer he cannot refuse.

He offers Moloth and his band of Twilights a place of their own. He offers Moloth uncontested rule of his own band of Unicorns. No influence from any other Unicorn, no pesky Elementals sniffing around. Their own land. Moloth's band.

But Moloth, despite his other flaws, is not a bad leader. Quite the opposite, in fact. His unicorns follow him because they want to. His is the most organized, most efficiently run, and most impressive band in the entire Valley. Though temperous, he is fair; though dark-colored, he is powerful. His mares and stallions want to be in his herd, because they know that Moloth will look after them. For Moloth will. He has proven time and time again: he will not fail his band. He may stumble, but then his stride picks up stronger then before.

And Moloth knows that if the Twilights are to survive, they need to leave the Valley. All kings fall – he has learned from Boreas. All oaths are broken – he has learned from Solaris. All heroes die – he has learned from Skwall. But his herd will last forever. Moloth will ensure that, not for himself, but for his followers. Moloth feels he owes them that much.

But The Waiter attaches string, a subtle knot. The Twilights must fight for The Waiter. They will live on his land, so they must pay their dues. Moloth hesitates. He knows this Waiter not, but the lure of freedom is too strong to be denied.

So Moloth accepts The Waiter's offer.


	27. The Thing

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Thing

* * *

This Chapter is dedicated to dorcha-solas.

* * *

Solaris, Mulciber had to admit, was a good leader, not the best, but then again, no one is perfect. Mulciber shook his head and sparks flew from his mane, briefly charring the grasses nearby. _But no one is perfect_. As Mulciber grazed, he reflected on the recent happenings of the herd.

As a result of mixing colors in the herd, much like a painter mixes paints, black, of course, had to be created. And so the Twilights, the unicorns that were dark colored and almost black were created. None were actually black, but they were very close. Solaris, the fool, had insisted that black was not a real color and refused to allow the Twilights to enter the Rainbow.

And the Rainbow! Mulciber snorted; the breath out of his nostrils hot enough to burn flesh. That _stupid_ Rainbow. Every morning, the entire herd had to get up and sing that stupid song. _Everyday we greet the sun_… Solaris had gotten cocky, being the king of the Herd. One would think that the mixing of colors had been his idea! Mulciber grinned inwardly as he remembered how greatly Solaris had fought against the one Herd.

Yet the Herd was still divided. It was not the one Herd that all spoke of. Rather it was the Rainbow, The Storms, the Bonfires, the Comets, and they all gathered separately. Now they were joined by the Twilights. Their leader, Moloth, was different from the other sects' leaders. He enjoyed the division. Enjoyed the hate Solaris allowed him to create. Enjoyed the power. Moloth, Mulciber thought, was bound to be a problem.

Mulciber perked his ears at the sound of approaching hooves behind him. It was probably just one of his brothers, but still, respect was due. As Mulciber turned around, his breath seemed to be stuck in his throat as he stared at the… the… _thing_, that was the only word for it, as he stared at the _thing_ in front of him.

The creature was jet-black, blacker then any of the Twilights. It had the basic shape of a unicorn, but it was wrong. Mulciber couldn't say why he felt so apprehensive, but he could almost feel the, the, the _wrongness _radiating from it He could also see its power. It wasn't a bad power; it was similar, but not the same, as the power the Mare concealed. Still, it wasn't right. How could something like this just suddenly appear in the Valley? Mulciber tensed his muscles and lowered his horn as a precaution.

"Whoa, Mulciber," the Thing hissed, "There is no need for that. I merely wish to talk to the Mare." It spoke with the voice of snake, hissing words and saying names as if the Thing was spitting poison. "I mean you no harm." Mulciber hesitated. As much as the Thing repelled him, not even Mulciber could justify senseless killing. It would be like stooping to a level that the Elemental didn't want to reach. But The Thing wished to see the Mare….Surely no harm would come? After all, wasn't the Mare the most powerful in the Valley? After another moment, Mulciber turned and started to walk away. The Thing followed him.

* * *

AN: Reveiw and you might get a chapter dedication. Oh, and still no one has found my Lord of the Rings reference in the Five Friends, Part I. The first who finds it gets a Chapter dedication. 


	28. The Rise of the Shifter Lords

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Rise of the Shifter Lords

* * *

When Diablo had left the Supreme Ruler for the Dark One, Diablo forsook his immortality that he had attained in the Valley. But the Dark One, fearing for his loyal servant, gave Diablo the gift of Dark Magic. 

Now Dark Magic is a fickle friend. It can give you great power, but at the expense of your life. It can make you live forever, but change your appearance to that of a monster. It can allow you to shift your shape, but steal your soul in doing so. However, for those who could master the Magic, it gave spectacular results.

o_l_o

And so, the Shifter Lords could live for centuries, not totally immortal, but close. Disease could not kill them, and most who got close enough with a blade found themselves to be the ones speared through. The Shifter Lords, as their name implies, had mastered the ability to change their shape. But in order to keep his line alive, Diablo was forced to have children with powerless mortals, and every generation grew weaker and weaker in Magic.

The descendants of Diablo knew that if they were to make the Shifter Lords great in power again, they would need a powerful army that was loyal only to the ruling Shifter. Only with this army would they be able to reclaim the lands of the Mortal Realms. So they waited.

o_l_o

The Shifter Lords were no fools. They knew that the best way to procure a loyal army was to 'rescue' one from an evil overlord. And even though they lived in the Mortal Realms, they could sense the uneasiness and rebellion that lived in the Celestial Valley, first because of the Elemental Herds, next because of the broken Herd.

o_l_o

When Diablo left the fire-scorched lands of the Dark One, he left through a door. It was a door to nowhere; it was a door to door to everywhere. It stood alone in the air, doorframe and door, and could be used to go anywhere. However, the Supreme Ruler's grace had been placed upon the Valley. The end result of this was that only a great amount of Magic could open any path into the Valley, so much Magic, in fact, that the user would be likely to lose his own life in its opening. But Diablo, possibly acting on the foresight of a god, knew that someday, sometime, a Unicorn from the Valley would come through to the Mortal Realms. He could wait. He was, after all, an immortal.

o_l_o

Eventually the patience of the Shifter Lords was rewarded. Unicorns left the Valley, leaving their Pool 'open' behind them. And the Magic leaked from the Valley. So much Magic leaked that the animals began to talk, Sorcerers arose, and the Unicorns of the Valley eventually felt its affects. Enough Magic to open the door into the Valley. So taking the Opportunity, Arioch went to the Celestial Valley to make deals with the Mare.


	29. Arioch

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Arioch

* * *

This Chapter is dedicated to The Silver Traveler.

* * *

Arioch had to admit he was a tad surprised to see the Elemental Stallions still in the Valley. After all, the Elementals were only half immortals like himself, and he was the third generation after the mighty Diablo. He was also somewhat surprised to see the Elemental so ready to fight him. But there was no doubt about it: The sharpened horn and shortened mane and tail were quick giveaways.

But, Arioch noticed as he walked behind the fiery red stallion, not all the unicorns in the valley were so ready to fight. Most were round around the middle and had extravagantly long manes and tails. Even the brown stallion that came up to walk alongside Mulciber had mane too long and horn too dull to be of any use in a fight.

Arioch jumped nearly a foot in the air when the third Elemental appeared from no where. There was just a slight breeze and then, suddenly, the blue-white Stallion was at Arioch's side. This one was ready for a fight too. Arioch was just beginning to think that he bit off more than he could chew when the other three Elements came into sight. The massive Golden One and the dark blue were grazing like any other unicorn, but the bronze one that clacked horns with Mulciber looked prepared to fight if the need should come to it. It actually looked like they were going to fight. The three war-ready stallions were tense, pawing the ground as if they were going to charge.

Which, in fact, they were.

Mulciber ran, his hooves digging into the ground. Visitor or not, Mulciber just didn't trust this stranger, and his instincts were rarely wrong. Now, at charging speed, few things could stop him now and almost all were impossible to happen in the Valley…

……except for the Mare. A sudden loss of traction, and Mulciber went skittering out of control. "In the name of the Ruler!" Mulciber was sliding out of control, his legs almost in a sitting position as he tried to stop. His eyes sparked up with fire, and his breath was hotter than ever. As he regained his footing, he whirled…and found himself horn to horn with the Mare.

"Mulciber." She just said it, not accusatory, not angry: she just said it. The mighty Fire Stallion bowed his head sheepishly. The Mare merely turned to the monster that was disgracing the Valley, "Please, Arioch, come. I believe it is I whom you seek."

Arioch's breath quickened slightly. He hadn't known that the Mare could work Earth Magic. If she had that much unknown power, who knew what else she could do. Perhaps this was a bad idea…


	30. The Heir of Diablo

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Thirty: The Heir of Diablo

* * *

This Chapter is dedicated to Holy Sorceress.

* * *

The Heir of Diablo came to the Valley. The Heir of Diablo found The Elementals. The Heir of Diablo demanded to speak with the Mare. And his wish was granted. For one full day, from sunset to sunset, the Heir of Diablo and the Mare palavered in the cave in the mountains. And so they spoke.

Much of what they spoke about is now lost forever, for none were there but they. However, it is known that The Heir of Diablo asked the Mare for the Twilights, since neither side considered themselves a part of the other. Why should the Twilights remain when Solaris hated them; why should Solaris be forced to accept the Twilights. The Heir of Diablo asked the Mare if she would let the forsaken Unicorns leave with him. It is known that the Mare denied him. No, they should not leave. They are bound to The Supreme Ruler, and it was not the Mare's place to say who could leave and who should stay. You and your minions serve The Dark One. You return to your ruling, yes, you return to your lands, and you leave us here. Besides, the Mare adds, what makes you think that the Twilights would even _want_ to leave with you? Well?

The Heir of Diablo stirred slightly in his chair. Upon reaching the Mare's cave he had shifted into a shape reminiscent of Diablo; matching the lost Igdrasil almost perfectly in his looks. It was a form that the Mare had longed for over the years, and The Heir of Diablo gave it to her. It confused her though, more than once calling him by the name of Diablo. He listened intently as the Mare restated he question.

"What makes you think they will _want_ to leave anyway?"

The Heir of Diablo grinned. It was a grin that his entire family had perfected over the years; being learned directly from The Dark One himself. It was enough to send shivers down spines, and even the Mare, the almighty Mare, Arioch thought with a grin, even the Mare looked uneasy under it. He put his hands together in front of his face, their fingertips lightly touching. The Heir of Diablo grinned broadly at the Mare, his eyes reflecting his smile.

"Why do I think they will come? Because, my dear Mare, I have already asked them."

A moment passes as the Mare registers this. "You what!"

"Of course. I asked. It is what any leader would do, of course."

The Mare is insulted. Not only has this mockery of the past come tromping into her Valley, but he has gone over her head and taken control of things that were never his to control. And she sees through The Heir of Diablo: she knows what he wants his own army for. And with this army… hemight even try to conquer the Valley itself.

"Never," she tells him, "will you or your kind set foot in this land."

Now The Heir is enraged. "How can you deny me my birthright? These lands belong to the Heirs of the Idgrasil, not some meddling mare and her band of horned horses. These lands belong to me!"

The Mare stared The Heir of Diablo in the eye. "Never shall your kind rule here."

"Wait and see."


	31. Cursed by The Heir

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Thirty-One: Cursed by the Heir

* * *

The Mare drove Arioch out of her cave, the one she that once shared with two other beings so like herself. At first Arioch, confident in his power, ran as the blackest unicorn. Almost too late, he saw the Elemental Mulciber out of the corner of his eye. The red stallion was charging head down, his entire weight behind his sharpened horn. Merely seconds before impact, Arioch did something that he ultimately regretted: he spread wings and flew. This lessened the fear he would have over the Unicorns when the fighting times came, and it revealed his special magic to all. Yes, Arioch would live regret that one folly the entire war. 

For there _would_ be a war.

Before he was driven out, Arioch invoked the power of The Dark One, the god that he served. Using his power, The Heir of Diablo cursed the Mare, the Valley, and their descendents. He cursed Sirani and her dreams, who had fought long against the Shifter Lords. He cursed all who had crossed him. This curse took the form of a prophecy, but it was more a promise than sacrilege. It was Diablo's oath, the one that would cause all to happen. The power of these words never died. As he spoke, The Dark One carved the words into the floor of the Mare's cave, ensuring that she would never forget them. They were outlined in the shape of the star, and eight-pointed behemoth, cut with jagged slices into the stone. The words were forgotten by mortals, but the star was not. Down in the Mortal Realms, the eight-pointed star was seen as lucky, and put on flags, arms, and maps. Little did they know it would lead to their downfall.

Yes, there would be a great many wars.

Time will come

And all will fail

As dawn brings darkness,

Summer, hail.

King of Star

And King of Horn

Fight the dark lord

Enemy sworn.

But King of Horn

And King of Star

By dawn surrender,

Lost by far.

Sun is chased,

But stars are caught

And all their work

Is but for naught

But will someday rule

O'er Sirani's dreams

And Mare's mortal Fools.


	32. There Are Worse Things Than Death

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Thirty-two: There Are Worse Things Than Death

* * *

Moloth looked up as his lord returned. The Shifter Lord had, by this time, returned to a Unicorn shape, but his eyes still burned red. Moloth took one look at his lord's face and knew that things had not gone as planned.

Arioch stood fuming on the edge of a plateau near the mountainous region. He gazed out over the Valley, his head level with the trees. He did not turn as Moloth came up beside him. "My Lord?" Arioch snorted and turned his head away. The pair watched the sun sink lower towards the mountains, painting the sky with brilliant hues. At length, Arioch spoke. "This won't be pleasant."

Moloth grinned. "Like it isn't already."

Arioch's eyes blazed brighter. "There are pools I need. On the other side of the Valley. On the other side of _them_."

"Oh?"

Arioch turned to his companion. "I can get back. But not with you. I need those pools!"

Moloth blinked, but inside he was fuming. Why did he have to ask the Mare's permission? Why couldn't they have just left? "So we can't leave with you, until we reach the other side of the Valley."

"Correct."

The pair stood in silence a little longer, watching as the sky turned darker and sank beyond the hills. Arioch spoke again.

"Many of your people may die."

Moloth said nothing, but stood in silence. He gaze sank lower until he was watching a batch of Twilight foals. They cavorted and wheeled wildly; playing games that only they knew. In another world they might have had a chance, but here…Here they had breed true to their parent's colors, and their coats were even darker then their sires and dams.

"Arioch," Moloth began, "We will fight. You have promised us freedom, and we will have it." Arioch opened his mouth to speak, but Moloth cut him off, a dangerous shadow creeping into his voice. "Say nothing, Arioch. It is my people who will die for this fate."

Arioch jumped in before Moloth could go on. "You don't have to come-"

Moloth breath comes out in a rush, and had he been more from the fire line, sparks would have joined his breath. "How can you say that? Give us a taste of freedom, let us know what it is like, how can you say that?"

Moloth stops; his point is made. He doesn't need to go on, even though he lost his temper. Arioch, for the first time in his life, is defeated, and Moloth need go on no further. His last sentence ends the argument as he turns his gaze back to the foals playing in the field.

"There are worse things than death."


	33. Strike

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Thirty-Two: Strike

* * *

Step into my lair, said the dreth to the chorkant.

_- The Ellimist Chronicles_

Night's black Mantle covers all alike.

_-Guillaume de Salluste Du Bartas_

Dawn was just cracking over the Valley. The immense golden yolk of the sun was scraping its belly on the mountains when the call went up. The Supreme Ruler had gone overboard with his paints this particular morning, and the sky was painted with reds, yellows, and pinks of every color, with just enough orange to pull it altogether. The weather was fair, and the long horn-mark-shaped clouds in the sky reflected the colors of the sun, making the rising even grander. Even as the Rainbow assembled to meet Solaris the Golden One, Unicorns were gazing at the sky. It was a fine sight, they all agreed, and they would treasure it forever more. And they did, until the sun reached its height, witnessed the murders of many, and fell back to the mountains, set afire with anger.

Solaris was late that morning. He himself had been admiring the sky. So the sun broke before their leader appeared at the ledge on the mountains. A murmur went through the assembled. Just a rumor, but it was enough. Had Moloth known who had said it, he would have given the speaker more riches then there are in a gold mine.

"Solaris has forgotten us!" The words circled around the Herd. The Unicorns were afraid. Why this? Why now? Had Solaris…Could he have…Was it possible…that he had joined a separate Herd? All the fears were, fortunately or not, unfounded, but this change was not good in such troubled times. Or in any time, for that matter.

Before the rumors could reach any farther, Solaris stepped out onto his ledge. As he gazed out upon his Herd, he listened to the notes of their music. His eyes roamed over the color bands…and then they stopped. He tensed, pulling his body underneath of him, laying back his ears, and throwing is head up.

Mulciber, at the head of the red band, had grown concerned. He had started up the steep incline to the ledge where Solaris would have been, but turned around when his leader came out. He saw the same thing that Solaris saw. His eyes went wide, filling with flame. A thin tendril of smoke snaked out of his nostrils and rose to the sky.

In the rear of the Rainbow, but slowly picking his way forward, was Moloth. His dark red coat seemed even darker in the honest light of day, and his horn had been sharpened and glittered eerily in the light. The very presence of him was unnerving. Moloch picked his way through the Herd, shoving aside bodies that refused to yield to him. As he reached the middle of the Rainbow, he stopped. The Unicorns backed nervously away from him, as if they would become diseased if they came any closer to him. Moloch didn't mind. Indeed, it is doubtful that he noticed. He was more concerned with the Elementals.

"Solaris," He called out. "Why do you yet remain high and aloof? For I rather wish to speak with you."

"Moloth!" Solaris's voice was more a bellow of rage than actual words. "Your kind is not welcome here. Cease and desist." Moloth's eyes narrowed. He kept Mulciber, now creeping down the mountain, in the corner of his eye, but returned Solaris's glare. The Golden Stallion looked uncomfortable under the dark Unicorn's gaze. "I command you, as Lord of the Herd, to leave!"

"Since when," Moloth asked, his voice as slick as oil, "Since when have I ever called you Lord?"

Solaris shifted his weight onto his rear legs. Mulciber started walking faster towards Moloth. Moloth stood were he was, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings. But Moloth is not oblivious; rather, he is far from it. He keeps one eye on Mulciber, who is near close enough to attack; he ignore Solaris, who will cause no harm lest he grows wings; he keeps one eye on the tree line, behind the Herd; he listens for the other Elementals. For Moloth has gone into, forgive the modern analogy, the lion's lair to buy time.

He is purchasing time for the Twilights to circle to the side of the Herd without being noticed (this part succeeds). He is obtaining time for The Shifter, who needs to work his Magic slowly to avoid being noticed (this part does not). He is gambling all of this so that this idea of Arioch's might, _might_, might just work.

Cards, and their accompanying games, exist in most worlds. The games are rarely the same, but there is one that is universal. This particular game is called Tower. In it, a solitary player stacks groups of three cards to make, forgive the pun, 'towering' buildings of cards. This continues until the player runs out of cards. However, only the slightest breeze or imbalance in the table is all that is needed to knock the Tower over. Sometimes, the player will start again, but sadly, in most cases, the cards are put away until next time. The interesting part this is that it is about to happen in Valley.

Mulciber hesitated, gauging the distance between him and Moloth. Solaris gathered himself. Moloth himself tensed. Arioch disengaged fighting with the Mare, deep in the forest. Twilights took deep breaths of air.

And the tower crumbled.

Mulciber lunged, his ground-eating stride bearing his forward at speeds only an Elemental can muster. Moloth wheeled, coming in with his horn to meet Mulciber. As he spins, he whinnies, his voice shattering the terror that had bound the Herd and trumpeting his signal to the waiting Twilights. The Twilights charge, heads bowed, horns sharpened on stone ready to spear those in their way. Arioch ran from the Mare, takes two bounding leaps, and one the third is airborne, his body mutating into wings and fangs and claws. His very appearance in the air causing terror among the Herd. Solaris leapt, extending his body out long, almost falling upon landing, but picking up running all the same. The other Elementals rallied their bands to them, trying to lead them somewhere else.

In the midst of the chaos, a stocky brown stallion engaged the deepest blue mare he had ever seen. She was taller, but he had more straight power than she. He kicked, catching her in the ribs. She fell to her knees. Not waiting to se if she was dead or not, Canis slammed into a stallion the color of coffee that was getting ready to stab an orange Unicorn. Disentangling himself from the other Unicorn, Canis bolted for higher ground. He reared up, looking for the little bit of height that the trick afforded him. He was dismayed at what he saw.

The Herd was breaking. Here and there, Twilights were making bloody swaths through the band of Rainbows. Some of the more vicious groups had joined in, most notably the Comets and a majority of the Storms. Most, it seemed, had no clue what was going on. They milled about in a panic, unsure of what to do. The Elementals were trying to restore order, but it was too little, and soon it would be too late. Canis reared up, trying to make himself as big and imposing as possible.

"To me!" he hollered, "rally to me! Unicorns of the Rainbow, rally to me!"

The orange Unicorn whom Canis had helped instantly grasped his intent. He ran away from Canis, still aiming for higher ground. When he was a good distance away from the brown Unicorn, he too reared back and his piercing whinny grabbed attention. "To me, to me!"

The Herd slowly reassembled on the sloping edge of the mountains. Canis exchanged glances with the orange Unicorn down the line. Together they whinnied, took flying starts, and led their make-shift army down the slope.

By the time the Unicorns of the Rainbow had finally turned the Twilights and their traitorous allies away, the sun was setting in a brilliant flash of light. It seemed to reflect the anger of the day, setting the sky on fire.

And from the ashes, the Sentinels arose.


	34. Old

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Thirty-Four: Too Old

* * *

The Mare was old. She had never aged a day in her very long life, yet The Mare knew, in her heart, that she was old. She could feel it in her bones; in her soul; in her very core. Old. Too old. Too old to defend her Valley. Too old to lead her people. Too old to protect the pools. Barikah would, no doubt, keep the main pool safe, but she was a rare one. Too few could see the other sides of the pool, and fewer still would not be bought by the Shifter and Moloth. Too old. Too old.

Something must be done, for she was old.

o_l_o

Around the time of the cursed of Arodousna and Mellifer, a peculiar thing began to happen in the Herds. They became so large that their respective head Stallion chose to mate with his own mares, rather then with The Mare. As this happened, The Mare slowly retired from the Valley, retiring to the great mountains which still represent her today, even though her title comes from a different source. After Orcinus had his last foal with The Mare, none of the Elementals would breed with her again. And so the foal that grew up within the Herd of water, the one named Lotaringe, was her last. All agreed upon that.


	35. Whereever Liveth Strangeness

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Thirty-Five: Whereever Liveth Strangeness

But then there was another.

Mordran flicked her tail. Her foal, covered in his pure white baby fluff, with bone horn and plain hooves, lay panting on the ground. She had been trying for the last two hours to get him to his feet, but he couldn't make. It was almost comical, really, he would get halfway up, pause, totter for a moment, and then topple over. It was almost comical, but it was happening to Mordran's foal.

Indeed, she was so distraught that she never heard the unicorn approaching behind her.

_(Whereever liveth strangeness, so doth the Mare.)_

The Mare stood at the edge of the small clearing where Mordran and her foal were struggling. At her own side, still shaky on his legs, was a small colt with white fur, plain hooves, and a bone horn.

The Mare walked over to Mordran's foal, the second one remaining one the edge of the clearing. The pure-white unicorn dropped her head and nudged the sickly foal to its feet. He tottered for a moment, but stood there, still, as if he though that the slightest movement would send him tumbling to the ground once more. But it wouldn't.

_(Whereever liveth strangeness, so doth the Mare.)_

There is strong magic in the mountains. Strong magic.

Mordran nuzzled Gaheris, easing his shaking limbs and reassuring him. She turn to thanks The Mare, but The Mare is already saying something.

"Raise this one as your's twin."

Mordran looks curiously at the Mare. Take another's foal? Unheard of! It was too horrid to even think about.

_(Whereever liveth strangeness, so doth the Mare.)_

But she takes the colt, Raiden, and raises him. And none comment on it; there have been twins before. Mordran worries that someone will notice the vast differences in the foals, how Raiden is large and as heavily built as Gaheris's father, whereas Gaheris is more like his mother, or maybe even one of the wind band. But she needn't worry, indeed, Amaris and Johon look nothing alike: the former being blue and the latter being yellow. And she needn't fear the future foal's color, for with all the fighting, she could lie (or would it be one?) and say that she adopted some other dead Unicorn's foal. And beside which, that is a long way off. So for the moment, Mordran is left hoping that Gaheris's father won't notice a very small and simple snag. Raiden's eyes are blue.

For as Mordran, and her observant mate, Mulciber, are both of the Fire line, Gaheris's eyes are red, seemingly bedecked with rubies as irises. But Raiden's eyes, however beautiful and observant and innocent they may be, are blue. As blue as Orcinus's, and as deep as the sea.

For indeed, Raiden was born by Water, out of the Mountain of Earth, and was raised by Flame.

_(Whereever liveth strangeness, so doth the Mare.)_


	36. Sentinel

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Thirty-Six: Sentinel

* * *

Change is an amazing thing. It can happen slowly, taking millions of years as beings crawl from water to land; it can happen quickly, as butter melts in a saucepan; it can happen in between, as Herds are broken and bonded and broken again. But here is the clincher – it always happens. Indeed, it can be said that change is the only victor of all and any wars.

The Band of Twilights has changed. In the course of the week since the First Strike (or the Battle of the Blood-Rose Dawn, as it is now being called), the Twilights have gone from being a Herd to being an army. And does it suit them. They have sentries everywhere. They train, laugh, and mock-battle in their fighting units using horns sharpened on the rocks of the mountains. In their time off, they relax flicking their shorted battle-ready tails to and fro; nibbling on each other's shortened manes. Moral is high…After all, despite high odds, they did not actually lose their first battle. Yes, does it suit them.

The Herd, too, has changed. Though not as regimental and well-commanded and regimentalized as the Twilights; they, for the moment, have the advantage of numbers, superior position, and unlimited resources. Many still think that they are in the old days of peace, but a most have seen that change is needed. They train themselves to fight, sharpening their own horns, pulling out the longest strands of their flowing tails. And the best of these become Sentinels.

The Sentinels are the best of The Rainbow, indeed, of either side. They are proud, strong, and fiercely loyal and protective of their Herd. They act as watchers, and in the weeks following the Battle of the Blood-Rose Dawn, they become a common sight in the darkness of night. Heads arched, haunches tucked, wary and watchful. They take advantage of the terrain, using the highest grounds as the best look-outs. They train the rest of the Herd, lead them in battle, and are admired by all. Even the soldiers of Twilight hold The Sentinels in high regard.

Though overall leadership of The Sentinels is shared jointly by Mulciber and Aeoleus, they are mostly commanded by three generals, who have risen to their positions through courage, bravery, and skill. One is Canis. One is Tren, the burnt orange stallion we have already met. The other is Panthera, who fights alongside Canis, yet still feels guilty. For in the end, was he not the sire of Adonis? He seems an unlikely choice for command, but proves himself time and time, and time again, in the upcoming years.

For the battlestake years. The early battles are much like the first: really, many confuse the Battle of the Fast River with the one of Small Hill, and Small Hill with Flint Mountain, and so on and so forth, and the years progress in much the same way, with no definite victor, with no definite loser.

And so it might have remained, had not Zephyr and Avrinna been overthrown on the horns of their own, and their positions been usurped by Lotaringe.


	37. Lotaringe

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Lotaringe

* * *

There is a particular game played by many, children and adults alike, on one particular world. It is called Dominos, and it seems that the most fun is had when not playing with the rules. Rather, the players take the pieces and line them up on their edges in the form of a snake or whatnot. Then, by knocking one single piece over, a chain reaction is started, causing all the Dominos to fall over and knock the one in front of them. The really serious and skilled players of this game can cause the Dominos to knock into other objects, with an interesting end result, like say, popping a balloon. Watch carefully, for something along those lines is about to occur.

The sentries were tired. Their four-hour shift was almost over, and it was the middle of the night. They struggled against sleepiness, trying valiantly to fight off the dreams of deep sleep. One was pacing trying to keep his mind from wandering. But wander it did right across the field and almost right over the back of an approaching Unicorn. The sentry caught himself in time and nickered to his friends on night watch with him. Carefully they arranged themselves to surround the Unicorn, using their dark coloring to blend in with the night itself.

The Unicorn approached the front lines of the Twilights directly, not bothering to sneak around or attempting to conceal himself. He was spooked when some of the Twilights suddenly appeared at his side; his ears pricked forward and his breath came out in grunting snorts. But that was his only reaction.

* * *

And then, in a way very reminiscent of Arioch's wish, the Unicorn demanded to see Moloth.

And, in a way very reminiscent of Mulciber's actions, his wish was granted.

But, is the result merely a repeat of the past?

* * *

Lotaringe leaned in closer to Moloth, not wanting the guards surrounding the two to hear his words. "I can assure you the loyalty of the Storms. That is over a quarter of the Rainbow. They will never recover from such a blow."

Moloth's eyes bored into Lotaringe, who shifted uncomfortably under the weight. His arrival was not as receptive as he would've liked, and Moloth, being Moloth, was suspicious of all and any who entered into his domain. And his eyes! So like Mulciber's, Moloth's eyes were fiery rubies, full of calculating calmness that barely hinted at the temper and power contained beneath. He shuddered again. He played his last card.

"And, I bring you a gift."

Moloth gave a derisive snort. "Heh, heh, and what can _you_ give to _me_? I can send my men out and anything in the Valley that I want, is mine. Why should I even listen to you?"

He turned and began to walk away. The Twilight guards, horns lowered, eyes glittering, moved in on Lotaringe. But the Water Unicorn never flinched. His voice, as he called out to Moloth's retreating tail, was hardly more than a whisper, yet it was powerful enough to start avalanches, shifts of power, and knock over dominoes.

"I can give you Orcinus."

Moloth looked behind him. _His_ voice was full of his grandsire's temper, power, and malice for fakers. His voice is filled with scorn, disbelief and ridicule. "_What_ did you say?"

Lotaringe cocks his head at an angle. His voice is full of delight; his eyes are dancing that Moloth is wrong. "I can give you Orcinus."


	38. Slaying the Sea

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Slaying the Sea

* * *

Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy.

_---Hamlet,_ Act V, scene i.

* * *

Lotaringe, Lotaringe, never lies:  
King of truths and of disguise  
Lotaringe, Lotaringe, has slain the Sea:  
By handing him over to murderers three.

---Child's bed rhyme of Balinor

* * *

LOTARINGE, LOTARINGE NEVER LIES 

He can give Moloth Orcinus. Not that he thinks anything will come of it – after all, how do you slay and immortal?

First, you isolate him. You pull him away from the protection of numbers, from the safety of the Herd. It is preferable that all and any Sentinels are far and farther away from him – can't have those meddlers hanging about and already impossible task. Second, when you lure him in, you use an irresistible bait – preferably one that is expendable, should something go awry, which they often do when lying traps (for this I only need say Hamlet, and my point should be made). Thirdly, the trap should take place in a place with no or few escape routes. Wells, box canyons, and narrow passes work quite well in this effect, just ascertain before hand that you yourself are able to fight in such conditions. It would be absolutely dreadful should you be outmaneuvered in your own trap. It would be embarrassing, humiliating, and most likely fatal should such an even occur to you. Fourthly, you don't go alone. You never do anything with an immortal alone. Being alone with an immortal, while in a war situation with you as its enemy, is always a _stupid_ idea. Always.

Fifthly, lastly, and to conclude, you must absolutely, positively, never, ever, _ever_ play by the rules. Immortals know every rule in the textbook; odds are they've used them all once or twice before. So to kill one, not defeat but actual death, you must never play by the rules. Surrounding the Immortal to be slain helps lessen your odds slightly. Lack of parley and mercy are definitely good ideas, just as pity and tenderness should be avoided. Use only seasoned killers, with no qualms and no hearts. Cheat if you must, by using ambush, back stabbing, front stabbing, side stabbing, sand in the eyes, anything.

It may also advisable to enlist the aid of a demon.

Interestingly enough, something along those lines is about to occur.

KING OF TRUTHS AND OF DISGUISE

"Only a little farther," the blue-grey unicorn called out to the Elemental behind him. They were trekking along the edge of the mountains. The rocks extended vertically up on their left, and vertically down on their rights. Every now and then a misplaced hoof would send pebbles and smalls stones skittering down the steep mountain face.

"Almost there," Lotaringe reassured Orcinus. For indeed, they were. Lotaringe never lies.

So when Lotaringe had breathlessly galloped in on Orcinus, speaking gibberish about a new Twilight training camp, Orcinus asked to be taken there. No sense in not getting a lie of the land after all. Unfortunately for the Elemental, Lotaringe was lying. There was a new training camp…. It was merely disguised as an ambush.

Lotaringe sees a couple of rocks fall onto the trail in front of him. Almost there, indeed.

The duo turns the corner and stares deep into the box canyon. It's not really a canyon; they are a hundred feet in the air, after all. But here, the mountain the Unicorns are on meets its neighbor, so, while the trail widens considerably, it ends in a sudden sheer wall.

LOTARINGE, LOTARINGE, HAS SLAIN THE SEA

"That's funny. They were here yesterday." Lotaringe loads as much mystery and puzzlement into his voice as he can, hoping that he can deceive the Elemental. It doesn't work, but as Orcinus looks around suspiciously, the King of the Storms suddenly bolts for the far end of the canyon. He has scales the wall and quickly as hooves can, using a trail that he and the Twilights had discovered the day before while laying their trap.

Orcinus follows him his own hooves scrambling for purchase on the rocky cliff face. But as Lotaringe scaled the trail, he dislodged rocks and stones. As the dust settled, Orcinus realized he could not follow Lotaringe. He spun about, making for the way he had arrived by. But he found that way out was blocked.

BY HANDING HIM OVER TO MURDERERS THREE

Moloth stood in the center. With his already dark coat silhouetted against the only exit, he looked even darker and more ominous than ever. Arioch stood to his right, his coat the color of pitch, his wings the color of shadow, his teeth as sharp as fangs. The third was Proteus, a supporter of Lotaringe, his mane flying back in a spray of colors that showed his heritage of all elements. His dark coat was dappled with blue, yet he had no tie of heart to the Sea that was his grandsire. Proteus was a rising general in the war, and was one of the main designers of the trap that waits to capture Orcinus.

Moloth was the first to tangle horns with Orcinus. As the Twilight was thrown aside, Arioch took his place. As Orcinus met his match, Proteus slammed the Elemental from the side. It was only when Moloth rejoined the fierce horn battle that Orcinus realized he would not win this fight. He tried to run but there was no where to go.

Behind him was an almost sheer rock face. Lotaringe stood at the top, with a pose mockingly similar to The Sentinels. The wind blew his mane and tail back, creating a sight that Orcinus would remember until he died. In front of the Immortal were the Twilights and Arioch, blocking the way back down the mountain.

Orcinus pawed a hoof. He lunged, hitting Proteus square in the chest. Proteus slid backwards, back hooves falling down the edge of the mountain, letting out a squeal as he tried to pull himself back onto the narrow ledge. Orcinus didn't look to see the result back staggered down the narrow trail he had arrived on. He would have made it, too.

But Moloth gave a final, lunging blow to the Elemental. It wasn't the blow that killed him, for though Moloth's horn was sharp and the wound was mortal. But Orcinus, already weary with fighting slid on the gravel covered path slick with his blood. He fell off the edge of the mountain, and single enraged, almost fearful, bellow splitting the air as he fell. His feet pawed the air, even as Proteus managed to pull himself up.

"Noooooooo!" the Elemental called out, bringing cold shudder that began in the spines of the Twilights and Arioch and ended in their hearts. But Orcinus was falling, and Orcinus was already as good as dead. If the Twilights or Arioch has stayed to see Orcinus's death, they would have seen it. Had Lotaringe stayed at his post higher up the mountain, perhaps he would've seen it. As it happened, all rejoiced their seemingly impossible victory, so none saw it. None saw it, except for a pair of foals and their dam, trotting back from their foaling place.

What none saw, except for the foals and their dam, was Orcinus falling off the mountain. What was important about this was that Orcinus never reached the bottom. Before he reached the razor-sharp rocks that were strewn all over the Valley floor, Orcinus stopped pawing the air and started pawing mist. Orcinus's agonizing cry was muffled as if his was covered by something. Orcinus stopped falling into rocks; instead, he started falling into blank whiteness.

But what none saw, except for the twins and their dam, was Orcinus simply disappearing.

* * *

For a picture of Orcinus' death, please go to this link: 

http/ img179. imageshack. us/ img179/ 6789/ ornicus4mp .jpg.

If you copy and paste into your browser, all you have to do is remove the spaces and you're all set.

Image copyright of Dark Unicorn Lurking.


	39. The Flame and the Sea

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Sea and the Flame

* * *

After the death of Orcinus, life in the Valley continued along the relatively same routines. The Sentinels kept up their watches; the council meet with the same unicorn (less one); and the foals grew up knowing that they would fight in the war and telling stories of the great heroes among the Herd. The only new addition was the hushed conversations between the remaining five Elementals and, to a lesser extent, The Mare, discussing exactly how those bloody Twilights managed to kill Orcinus. And something frightening happened.

As more and more foals were born under the reigns of Solaris and Moloch, more and more the fighting became natural. It wasn't an atrocity – it was life. It existed, always had, and probably would exist forever. In their sheltered lives as innocent younglings, they didn't care. Foals, being foals, would dream of becoming heroes, of joining the Sentinels.

As for the twins, they became more then of friends. Although they grew up with the shadow of war and death hanging behind them, the years spent as foals were the greatest. As time passed they became inseparable, even when, no especially when, they joined the other younglings in childhood games. In the myriad rounds of hide and seek, they always managed to find a space large enough for two. While playing, the other foals sometimes had to account for two foals as It. And when they grew old enough to mimic the fighting of their dams and sires, the two brothers were always on the same side, and made an unbeatable team.

And only The Mare knew just how truly strange their pairing was.

They had many adventures, but none could ever shake the memory of Orcinus – of the first and last time any of their generation had seen the Elemental. They also had another memory that neither could forget, and that was when they ran with Aeoleus.

Indeed, the war would change their lives in future years, and there would come times in which Raiden could longer see Gaheris, and various colors would come between them, but this image would always remain burned in their minds. And because Aeoleus was of The Sentinels, perhaps that day had a larger effect on the brothers then the philosophers originally thought.

And they would always remember the wind.


	40. Slain the Wind

The Balinor Chronicle: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Forty: Slain the Wind

* * *

Leaves have their time to fall,

And flowers to wither at the north-wind's breath,

And stars to set; but all,

Thou hast all seasons for thine own, O Death!

John Milton, _The Hour of Death_

Slain the wind, to never run

Across wide plains again.

Slain the breeze, the gentle breeze

Whose greatest deeds are den.

From _The Ballad of Jensh, _sung in Terra

* * *

For it was the wind that decided their destiny; it was the wind that brought them home. It was the wind that bonded them all the closer; and it was the wind that bellowed new fire in their hearts. 

For it was the wind that saved their lives.

At so great a cost. Or, if the new train of thought is right, perhaps the trade was more equal than the philosophers originally thought. But I overstep my bounds; I am a storyteller, not a thaumatosopher. You only need know that it happened. And, at the time, the price was great. And, at the time (and many times after, I might add), what was saved seemed so little in comparison.

It began with the wind.

The brothers, the twins who have already seen so much, were, like most of their age, playing. Gaheris was playing as Mulciber (a reasonable choice for him) and Raiden was being Terrenus (seemingly illogical, but that would be Raiden)… or maybe it was Gaheris who was Terrenus and Raiden who was Mulciber…. Or perhaps it wasn't even Terrenus at all, but Hephaestus instead.

Well, they were playing. In fact, much the way that boys get so involved in Coppers and Robbers, these two were involved in Elemental and Twilight picket. Very involved. In fact, long since given up the whole idea that they should be on opposite side the duo were streaking across the plain, the wind leading them on, in close pursuit of imaginary Twilights. Interestingly enough, they were actually heading straight towards the real Twilight pickets; and they probably would have collided at one point or another had the colorless foals not, um, ran (literally) into a group of training Sentinels.

It began with the wind, and it was continued by the Wind.

Aeoleus, king of the Wind, founder of the Sentinels, had been helping the generals train their newest recruits. Aeoleus, sire of many foal herded the renegade friends home. There is no speaking as they run home, the foals galloping while the Elemental keep to a flowing collected canter, but the conversation they have needs no words. It is one of those times when no one need say anything, but all leave feeling it was the best conversation that the world had ever seen.

It is in this time that Raiden and Gaheris know, not just want, but actually know that they will become Sentinels. Perhaps Aeoleus will throw his weight so they can enter, for in truth, he has taken a great liking to these little two. Perhaps their father will, for they are, after all, his. Perhaps they won't even need that, but earn their way through merit. But they will become Sentinels.

It is in this time of momentary far-seeing that Raiden can taste the bitterness of regret, the tang of fear, the sourness of pain, the salty drink of betrayal, and the pure sweetness of acceptance. It is in this time that Gaheris can feel the wings of joy, the wounds of war, the kick of treachery, and the utter bliss of victory. Though they are too young to connect images with this knowledge, they are old enough to know that they have just crossed a line that they can't go back on; perhaps, even, the line that mean they are no longer mere foals.

It is in this time that the changes in the wind alert Aeoleus. It is in this time that he knows that he is going to die. He can even see his murderers.

It began with the wind, was continued by the Wind, and was told by the wind.

Aeoleus pulls up quickly keeping the foals out of the others' lines of sight. He tells them under no uncertain terms that since they will become Sentinels, they must listen to him. No matter what happens, they will not stop. No matter what happens, they will not try to help. No matter what happens, they will run as fast as they can home. And when he has their promise, they continue on their way.

For if Aeoleus was to simply pull off his whole Wind Lord trick, he could easily escape the Twilights following them. But he would be forced to leave the foals behind. The Twilights might kill them. They might not. They might not have fallen that far yet. But _if_ Aeoleus were to leave them behind, he would have to live with that for the rest of his life. And Elementals live very, very long lives.

So Aeoleus himself will stay behind, letting the foals go on ahead. He isn't trying to be noble, chivalrous, or any one of those other ideas invented by unrealistic authors. He does it because he must. Because he will not be Aeoleus if he does not.

And that is perhaps where the truest line between good and evil is drawn.

So as the Twilight scouts, who weren't really supposed to do any fighting, but can't resist an open target close in on the trio, the twins break lose. And the Twilight leader must make a very fast decision.

Proteus doesn't see two generals streaking away, or two Sentinels, or even two soldiers. He sees a pair of long-legged younglings not even out of their white coat. He could send just one of his stallions after them, but Proteus needs every horn he can get. So he lets them live. Perhaps if he had the gift of far-sight, he wouldn't have, for that decision would haunt he and his masters until the end of their days.

Proteus and his men descend upon Aeoleus. And even an Elemental cannot fight that many horns. As he falls to the relentless stabbing and spearing of the Twilights, Aeoleus lets out one last desperate whinny. And Raiden, like Lot's wife at Sodom, does something _he_ will regret for the rest of his life. He looks back.

"Aeoleus!"

Gaheris pulls up, trying to push his brother along, so that the Twilights won't decide to go for an easy set of targets. He stops, panting, unsuccessful. "We promised, Raiden," he pleads with his larger brother, "we promised. We must go back. We… we must warn the others."

Raiden stares at the fallen Elemental, stares as the Twilight horns seem to pierce mist instead of wind. But hears his brother's words, and he knows he is right. As they turn and run, a colossal gust of wind pushes them along even faster.

It began with the wind, and was continued by the Wind, and was told by the wind.

It ended with the wind racing them home


	41. Stars

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Forty-One: Stars

* * *

When it gets dark enough, you can see the stars.

_Lee Salk_

Stars…In your multitude…Scarce to be counted,

Filling the darkness with order and light.

You are the sentinels, silent and sure,

Keeping watch in the night, keeping watch in the night.

_Javert _in_ Les Mes _

* * *

All souls find a place to reach upon their deaths. It is the fate of all things. But you must believe your soul will reach there. Elsewise, you need the help of a god. The Herd has both those things.

Indeed, it would be quite hard for them not believe the in gods' existence, given their heritage and the crystal bridge that linked their worlds together. And what would the blessing of The Supreme Ruler be, if he had no power after death?

* * *

In the beginning, there was nothing.

* * *

Shortly after the beginning, after the gods had finally put the worlds to order, there was darkness. The gods tried to fix the darkness; they made stars, but these pinpoints of mere light gave off only the weakest glow and which rarely touched the earths. The gods hung the shield of a fallen warrior in the sky, but it was too tarnished to reflect the light of the Immortal Realms brightly and had irregular phases.

* * *

So in the middle there was darkness as well.

* * *

But as some Unicorns fell in battle, and as the magic that protected their Valley waned and resulted in old age, the Herd began to die. The Supreme Ruler, using his power as their patron, lifted their souls up above the living, to light the skies. But The Dark One, ever antagonistic, reached out and scattered the bright remains across the sky in a wide band of brightness.

Just as they followed him in life, the souls of the Rainbow followed Solaris' namesake in death. From their final resting place, the Herd took their names.

Even to this day, the souls of the Celestial Herd still run as the brightest stars.


	42. Eternitus

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Forty-two: Eternitus

Eternitus. A name with many meanings, many faces, and many skills. The original Eternitus was a deep emerald green Unicorn, ranking so high in the Tree part of the Herd that he was on the council. His deep-colored emerald jewel was the base of his pine horn and jade hooves. His legs deepened to black, a trait shared with his mane and tail. His coloring and rank gave him many advantages over many beings. He played all and any sides to his own advantage. In time, his name became synonymous with The God of Fate, He-Who-Knows-All.

His hand encompassed players from sides unknown to others; his deck was marked; he used mirrors to see the cards of the other players. His deadly game of cards is played with, against, and for the highest stakes imaginable. For interestingly enough, cards are one of the few games that appear in many worlds.

Indeed, gambling is one of the few games that also appear in many worlds. Although many objects are used, the most common are cards and dice.

Some of the more sly gamblers load their dice so that they always land certain numbers facing up. While this ensures their victory and ensuing amassing of fortune, it is very risky as mobs have been known to kill beings caught with loaded dice. However, Eternitus is so skilled that he need not use this low trick.

Eternitus also does not gamble with dice. He plays with Unicorns, and he

never

ever

loses.


	43. Flush

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Forty-Three: Flush

It is Eternitus that holds the cards to the next round. And the round after that. And the one after that. But he does it so skillfully that no one notices.

At least, until it is too late.


	44. Flop

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Forty-Four: Flop

The Watch of the Twilight herd paced nervously.

Scratch that.

Everyone in the Twilight herd paced nervously.

Except for Moloth.

And Arioch.

The former was on the ground, his dark coat working a fierce lather. The latter was in some sort of form with wings and hands and fangs, frantically using all of his arts to save the former. They won the battle. But they might still lose the war, if the general died. Their victory had come at great price. Terrenus was dead. But would Moloth live?

The attack that day had been a lightning raid on one of the Celestials' watering places at the River. The traitor's information was correct – none had been expecting it. The entire Herd had been sent running, foals, mares and elders, while the Sentinels had stayed to buy time. It was a slaughterhouse.

Moloth's head snapped back as he whinnied in pain. Arioch ignored him.

As the Twilights had descended upon the doomed Sentinels, Terrenus's stone horn had snapped – part vanishing with its owner, part still living inside Moloth. It pained him to the point that he could not stand.

So Arioch tried to save him.

As Moloth lay on the ground, sides heaving, he lifted his eyes to the skies. If that Unicorn had crossed them, then he swore that the Celestial would beg for death.

But first, Arioch needed to save him.


	45. Turn

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Forty-Five: Turn

* * *

The foals mock-battled on the edge of the mountain cliff. Such practice had become common among the younglings, and was even encouraged by the Sentinels as early training. Most thought that the two colts were too old for such foolery; these foals were on the edge of becoming adults. Even the Unicorn with the weakest sight could catch the slight darkening of their white coats, the hardening of their hooves, and the sudden growth spurts in height and in horn. But no one said anything, as these were the offspring of an Elemental's favorite mare. So the pair parried and lunged as if they were real Sentinels, fighting for one of the last times without blood.

They never noticed the Twilights.

Neither did anybody else.

The Twilights descended upon the field like an eclipse on the sun. Everything in their path was swallowed up, but they bee-lined straight for an Elemental. Hephaestus.

Not even the Metal unicorn could defend himself.

The two foals had watched the battle before two Sentinels swept down on them, trying to herd them to safety. The larger and more heavily built of the two escaped his guardian and stared down at Hephaestus. So much time with his father had meant that all the Elementals were like multiple parents. His eyes streaked with tears as he watched the loosing battle. The Sentinel tried to push him away from the scene.

"No!" he cried, his voice echoing off the mountain. "Hephaestus!" Aestus Aestus aestus aestus stus stus tus tus.

As the last notes dies on the rocky face, a faint skidding noise was hardly audible among the sounds of the fighting. A few pebbles slid down the steep incline, dislodging larger rocks and tumbling into stones and boulders.

Hephaestus, Master of Metals, is dead. But the Twilights join him in the land beyond the mist.


	46. River

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Forty-Six: River

* * *

Much Thanks yet again to Raedyn, whose grammar checks have saved my skin. That's what you get for posting while half-asleep. Heh. Not that I would do that, or anything.

* * *

The two unicorns clashes horns time and time again. The Elemental skittered slightly, hooves sliding on the rocky terrain of the mountain. His adversary, Proteus, slid after him, sending up a spray of fine gravel. His rainbow mane stuck to his lathered dark coat. But his desire to slay Mulciber gave him a fiery passion as hot as the Fire Lord's. 

Mulciber jumped a narrow crevice, maneuvering himself into a better position. There was no need for words between the two as the Twilight general followed. Both knew that only one would walk away from this battle; taunting and negotiations would merely be a waste of breath.

Mulciber's flaming eyes burned as the Unicorns fought their way in and out of shadow and sunlight. His Herd may not have lived in the mountains, but he knew his Valley batter than any others left alive. He knew exactly where he was letting Proteus push him back to.

Whether Proteus knew or not was a different matter.

But Proteus gave no inclination of knowing the terrain, often stumbling slightly or skidding on unnoticed gravel piles. All the while, the two stallions battles ferociously, jousting with their horns, performing feats that would make the Lipizzaners hang their heads in shame.

Mulciber waited. Spar. Stab. Parry. Spar. Stab. Parry. He felt a breeze at his back. Proteus lunged…for the last time. As he teetered on the edge of the sheer drop, one nudge was all Mulciber needed to push him over the edge.

Thud.

Proteus landed hard on the sharp pinnacles of rack that littered the floor below. Mulciber looked at his dying body and turned away. He failed to notice Arioch.

The Heir of Diablo cautiously walked over to the dying Proteus, the still-healing Moloth at his side. Proteus is not dead, but it is inescapable. Three long tines have plunged through his body. A rear leg is broken. But Proteus cannot feel any of that – his back is broken, leaving him mostly numb and completely lost. But he still begs Arioch for a miracle.

"Please, please do something."

But resurrection for one so doomed is beyond even the power of the Mare, and Arioch has no hope of saving Proteus from the Fates. Unless…

If they sent Death after a Unicorn…

It is a gambling chance, one that would have left Eternitus gasping for breath. But sometimes, long shots pay off. And this one does. For when Death comes knocking for a Unicorn, no Unicorn is dead.

* * *

Mortals refer to Proteus as God of the Sea, able to transform his shape at will. They are incorrect. Orcinus, even in his death, is Lord of the Sea. And Proteus only felt his body change once. That once was when Arioch, with what little compassion was in his heart, transformed the Unicorn into a serpent of the deep.

* * *

For a picture of Mulciber fighting Proteus go here: www 'dot' monstrous 'dot' com /monsters/unicorn "underscore" 22 'dot' htm Forgive the lack of link - It won't show up otherwise. 

Material is copyright of Monstrous. Be warned: other pictures on the site have a much higher rating than this one. Explore at your own risk.

If you wish to illustrate a chapter, contact me via my profile. Artistic Ability not required.


	47. Time

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Forty- Seven: Time

This Chapter is dedicated to Dark Unicorn Lurking: 46 chapters in one night!

* * *

Turning, turning, turning through the years.

Minutes into hours and the hours in years.

Nothing changes, nothing ever can:

Round and round the roundabout and back where you began;

Turning, turning, turning, turning, turning through the years!

_Turning, _from _Les Meserables _

* * *

Recall if, you will, the Tale of Acheates and Adonis.

More than Arioch entered through that door.

* * *

The Valley changed slightly. Just enough not to be noticed. Grass yellowed and dried out. Trees stopped budding and left behind old, rotting trunks. Unicorns felt life slowly fade, as joints became stiff and backs became swayed.

Days had passed in the Valley before. But the funny thing was, no one had noticed. They just seemed to keep going, as if each was over 48 hours long and each week had forty days, and each year and ninety weeks. A year in the Valley could be hundreds in the Mortal Realms.

But now, it was as if the Goddess of Time had suddenly let her nocked arrow loose.

* * *

Deep in the woods, a Unicorn died. Not from battle. Not from foal-birth. Not from a fall. Simply because she was old.

* * *

Time had entered the Valley, and left the back door open for Death. 


	48. God of Fate

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Forty-Eight: God of Fate

* * *

The Council of Unicorns was engaged in a war meeting. The Lord of Each ban had gathered with the two remaining Elementals. One would think that the Council would number very few indeed, but the brothers had learned from the sudden disappearances of their younger siblings. All after Aeoleus had named 'heirs' should the Elemental disappear.

The Council's discussion, was, as usual, heated. Their numbers were falling too fast, some argued, and they would not be able to continue fighting. Their numbers would last long enough, others retorted, and who would fight if not them. The tempers could only last for so long; still it was dusk as the Council finally broke up, with nothing decided.

Solaris stood with his last brother and Eternitus. The three of them gathered on a hillock and gazed over the Celestial Herd. Though they were all generals in the war, they are felt pity for the foals they were growing up through this, for the dozens that each had commanded to their deaths.

"I wish we could just let him go," Solaris said remorsefully, "Back to the other world."

"You mean 'his world,'" Eternitus replied.

"No, that would be redundant," the Golden One said, challenging the green stallion.

"Of course not. You must be specific when talking about many things."

Solaris hesitated, sensing that he was skirting the edge of a giant pit. "Many things?"

Eternitus grinned, ready to cast his dice again. "Of course. There are other worlds than these. There are many worlds besides our own."

Solaris's heart stopped. "Many?" He prayed that he had heard wrong; many would mean more like Arioch; more like Moloth; more and more and many more. "Many?"

"Many."


	49. Interludus Primus

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Forty-Nine: Interludus Primus

* * *

If the Unicorns were surprised at the existence of other worlds, one could bet they would be stunned beyond all belief to discover that they were but a snow globe on the Supreme Ruler's desk. 

The Desk in question was quite cluttered. The blotter was all doodled on, and someone had used a blue pencil to turn all the numbers into eights. Numerous sums had been calculated next to notes about creating worlds. He had been falling behind terribly lately. An 1/8 full (or 7/8 empty) glass of water was sweating furiously and was creating a puddle that soaked through the next four months (Rain was a pretty safe bet on the first, second, eighth, and ninth of July; the fifth, sixth, twelfth and thirteenth of August; the second, third, ninth, and tenth of September; and the first, seventh, and eighth of October.).

Assorted pictures littered to desktop, including one of six stallions; one of a white mare, a lanky man, and a being lost in thought; and one, in an ornate frame, of two quite handsome, similar looking young men.

One of these men is slumped over the Desk, long legs sprawling underneath, feet playing with the trash bucket. He's resting his head on a hand and appears to be quite tired.

Very abruptly, he stands up, sending the garbage can flying into the wall and almost knocking over his mahogany chair. He grins at the man standing in the doorway.

"I's expectin' you."

"I reckons you just say that cus' I've a-caught you off-guard."

The deskman smiles. "Well, what are you wanting here?"

The intruder doesn't reply. Instead, he walks over to the window. The window itself seems to be made of liquid glass or solid water and beyond the moon-and-stars window clings; you can see a distant valley where the Unicorns from the rainbow battle the Unicorns of dusk.

"If we let 'em continue," the intruder says, "they will destroy this world. Then the next. 'N the next, 'til nothing is left, 'n we have to start all over again." The Intruder lets this sink in before continuing. "I've invested too much in this world ta let that happen."

The Deskman just smiles again. "You jus' don't want yer only ally to be a dead ally."

"You didn't make the Igdrasil. The next ones might favor me."

The Intruder has played his last card, knowing as well as the Deskman that the Deskman cannot allow that chance to take place. Just one favoring the Intruder is awful enough, but two, or maybe…just maybe… even _three_? The end result is inconceivable to the Deskman and he knows that he must listen to the Intruder.

"So, what do you wan' to do 'bout it?" The Deskman inquires.

"We could cast dice for the victor."

The Deskman snorts with laughter. "I'd never play dice with you. One wrong cast and I'd lose _every_thing. 'Sides which, you load 'em with lead," He adds as an afterthought.

The Intruder looks slightly taken aback. "What do you propose then?"

"Chess. A game of patience and strategy and –"

"That'd take too long. We must know the victor now…." The Intruder grins broadly at the Deskman, revealing shiny pointed teeth.

The Deskman's mind is racing. The Intruder is right again, probably for the first two times in his very long life; the battle must be stopped and must be stopped now. But the dice are too chancy. Unless….

"What about both?" The Deskman proposes, "Cast dice for the pieces, using my dice, of course, and then play?"

The Intruder measures his odds of changing the Deskman's mind.

"Both sound good."

lets cast dice said the devil to i  
in hopes that we may someday try  
to regain the world we lost  
without paying the highest cost  
lets play chess said i to he  
a game of chance just cannot be  
to risk a lot and lose it all  
as into hell the heavens fall  
a little of each we both agreed  
a game of chance with skill to need  
we cast the dice for every piece  
then play the game until its cease


	50. Twilight

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Fifty: Twilight

* * *

Mulciber watched his foals run wild. They were two of his last, out of the beautiful crimson Mordran. Almost time for them to turn colors soon, too. And then, two of the greatest Sentinels in the Valley.

Mulciber gazed idly at Gaheris. Already, the young Unicorn's mane is streaked with burnt red, the color of fading coals. Smears of color blaze along his coat, their crimson shades still diluted amongst the white of his foal fur.

The Elemental's eyes slide over to Raiden. The larger of the twins, Mulciber would call him more a Friesian that then the lightly built yet solid types characteristic of the Fire stock. And his eyes…. So blue. Clear. Innocent.

Blue.

Mulciber frowned. The blue was odd. Both he and Mordran were of the Fire Line, so really, Raiden's eyes should be as red as embers. Mulciber focused on the swiftly moving coat of the young Unicorn. His legs, mane, and tail were all graced with black. Noticeably. Mind, he thought, many had possessed bay-like colorings, even Orcinus hadsported a dark mane and tail, but the eyes? He stared all the more intently at Raiden's coat. There!

It was hardly noticeable. But hardly noticeable is still noticeable, and hardly is still enough to incriminate.

Raiden's adult coat is black. Not just dark red, like the Twilights, but black. Completely and utterly dark.

* * *

It may be interesting to note one more thing: 

Just as white is the bonding of all colors, so is black their absence.

* * *

For a picture of Orcinus' death, please go to this link: http 'colon forwardslash forwardslash' img179. imageshack. us/ img179/ 6789/ orcinus4mp. jpg 

If you copy and paste it into your browser, jsut remove the spaces after each punctuation, and you're all set.

Image Copyright of Dark Unicorn Lurking.


	51. Alas, Alas for the Shade of Night

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Fifty-One: Alas, Alas for Shade of Night

* * *

"Morals," Said Lionel, "are a form of insanity. Give me a man who insists on doing the right thing all the time, and I'll give you a tangle an angel couldn't get out of…."  
"Has Bors been going in for morals?"(asked King Arthur.)  
"Bors always did," said Lionel, "curse him. Morals seem to run in my family. Lancelot is bad enough being with, but Bors beats him to a frazzle."

_- Sir Lionel, The Ill-Made Knight_

Alas, alas for the shade of night;  
The shadows hide the light from sight  
Alas, alas for the shifting moon,  
Whose silver glory fades so soon.  
Alas, alas for the shade of night,  
Who lends his strength to shadow's might.  
_-Child's play rhyme in Balinor_

* * *

Time passed, as Time is wont to do. 

Gaheris, true to his father's prediction grew the reddest coat in the herd, stunningly complemented by a red diamond and jasper horn and hooves. Raiden, true to his father's prediction, grew a coat as black as the depths of the pool, complemented by true iron hooves and horn and a black diamond. Both of them, true to everyone's predictions, entered Sentinel training. Although, now as I recall further, not everyone appreciated Raiden's appointment as one. _Alas, alas for the shade of night._

As the unfortunate Raiden grew older, he found himself becoming more and more alone. It is lonely being a loner, especially for one born and raised in a Herd. In his solitary state, Raiden did something that was probably rather foolish, given his predicament: Rather than trying to find solace among other in the Herd, he took to wandering. Wandering is a tricky business when one is such a dangerous pawn. _The Shadows hide the light from sight._

It was on one such wandering that Raiden came upon a band of Twilights. (_Alas, alas!_) By this point, everyone knew about the now-dubious parentage of the young prince…including Moloth and his band of true Twilights. And while Raiden was still a Celestial, so were once the Twilights. _For the shifting moon…_

"Brother!" One of the dark-colored unicorns called out from his perch on the edge of the mountains. "Why worry about those who hate you? Come with us, and you will be hailed as a Prince of Kings!" Raiden paused. "Brother!" another Twilight called out, his long legs pacing back and forth across his ridge of rock. "Brother, we do not condemn upon your coat. Come with us, and you will be the greatest of generals!" A third joined in. "Brother! Fear not the sun and the fire; the shadows will grant you peace. And you shall be seen as the greatest of all, you who could have stayed, but did not!" _Whose silver glory fades so soon?_

Raiden felt his heart stir. Such marvelous things they spoke of. Such glories! _(Alas, alas…)_ To be free… To be judged upon his worth and not his coat. To receive the credit and respect that he had rightfully earned. Such…. Wonderfulness… Raiden wondered what it would be like. He made move to join them upon the mountain. _For the shade of night._

And then something very peculiar happened. For the shade of night was born of light….

He remembered the wind. He remembered the sea. He remembered those who had come before him, and strangely enough, he remembered those who would follow after. For there is deep magic in the mountains. Deep magic.

Neither he nor the Twilights were quite sure what happened next. Raiden remembered a rush of wind and a low rumbling as the mountain yearned to move. He remembered iron hooves sparking on rocks as he skittered to escape. The Twilight, for only one survived, remembered a high pitched shriek of a whinny that brought the mountain down around him. He remembered desperate cries as his fellows succumbed to the attack brought by rocks. He remembered something that seemed impossible – rocks flowing around, over and under, but not into, the Celestial whose whinny started the avalanche. And he swore he saw Death – not He-Who-Owns-All who collected the souls of the fallen, but he saw Death in the fair blue eyes of a unicorn whose coat was darker than his own.

Alas, Alas for all will fall;  
Castle burn, and crumble wall.

Alas, Alas for all will fail;  
The Sun will set, the shadows wail.

Alas, Alas the dice are rolled;  
Every soul has thus been sold.


	52. The Dice are Rolled

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Fifty-Two: The Dice are Rolled

* * *

The Cheese stands alone; the Cheese stands alone; Hi-Ho! The dairy-o; the Cheese stands alone.

_-Farmer in the Dell, Child's Nursery Rhyme_

* * *

Mulciber looked at the limp, bedraggled body of Eternitus. "No great loss there," he snorted derisively. He turned his attention to the rest of the carnage. It seemed the avalanche had caught at least three, maybe four Twilights. There didn't appear to be any Celestials other than Eternitus. Mulciber was almost glad to be rid of the green Celestial, one too many coincidences had occurred in his presence.

He returned his gaze to the mountain. Just what had been the cause of it. That was the question that needed answering. If only one of the Celestials had been there to see it.

Arioch killed the Twilight. The creature had been frantic, beyond reasoning, a threat to itself and others. Especially if the Twilight had told others what he knew…. The Twilight had surrendered its last thoughts to the Shifter, and now Arioch was trying to sort them all out. The other Twilights kept back. Even Moloth waited outside of the Shifter's reach. They were not fools; they could tell when their master was of a foul mood. At long last, Arioch stirred. He did not speak a word of what he had learned to any of his generals, but rather continued as if nothing had happened.

His thoughts, though, lingered on the actions of the day. Yes, he would be very interested in the black unicorn who could control the mountains.

It was several days before Raiden staggered back into the meadow where the Herd lived. Most hadn't noticed his absence, but a select few had grown very concerned, and were even more concerned when he arrived in the state he arrived in.

One was Solaris. Already mistrusting of the dark-coloreds of his Herd, he became even more suspicious when the darkest disappeared.

The second was Lorn, the cranberry-red mare who was Raiden's mate. Her sides were already swollen with their first born. It was Lorn who swept to Raiden's side; it was Lorn who consoled the shaken stallion. It was Lorn who truly cared.

The third was Gaheris. They were brothers, after all.

The fourth who grew concerned cut the deepest of all. Mulciber. Lord of Fire. Not only was the Elemental the only father that Raiden knew, but he was also the one whom the stallion had idolized as a colt. Mulciber was his hero, and Mulciber was the most suspicious.

It is interesting how the fates of the worlds can be decided by the wishes of so few.

* * *

A picture of Raiden may be found here: http/ www. Deviantart .com/ deviation/ 33477360/. Copy and paste, then remove the spaces. Forgive me for my lack of artistic talent. Image copyright of Asmodeus1389. 


	53. Confrontation

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Fifty-Three: Confrontation

* * *

May he dream treason, and believe that he  
Meant to perform it, and confesses, and die,  
And no record tell why;

_--John Donne_

* * *

In the next several weeks, several important things happened.

* * *

Lorn bore her first and only colt.

* * *

Solaris confronted Raiden. Raiden, as I have said before, was a wanderer, and wanderers have always been regarded with suspicion, in all times, in all lands. However, confronting wanderers is always a very dangerous sport, because a true wanderer knows things that you don't and has learned a few tricks of his own.

The said confrontation took the greater part of a day, ranging all over the Celestial section of the Valley, turning from Solaris shouting at Raiden to Raiden shouting at Solaris to both of them shouting at Mulciber to them shouting at each other again. Much was said, much was accused, and much was implied; most of which I have already told to you.

* * *

So to summarize a day in a sentence: Raiden fled with Solaris at his back.

* * *

To summarize in a chapter:

None could recall who struck first. It might have been Raiden. It might have been Solaris. Perhaps they struck at the same time. But the brief crossing of horns that occurred had ill effects for Raiden. Not even a Sentinel can outfight an Elemental, and Solaris of the Sun had much experience on Raiden of Dark. Raiden was lucky to be able to flee.

At first, many thought the duel would be to the death – and both Unicorns had intended for it to be so. But at one point, their fight ranged near to where Lorn had been standing, panic-stricken, with her newborn teetering at her side. It was in this moment that Raiden chose to live to see his son again, rather than be a martyr for an unknown cause. He turned tail and ran, as hard, as fast, and as long as he could, until Solaris gave up chase and let him join the Twilights.

Two other important things happened in this day.

Before Raiden fully turned to flee, Solaris' horn of solid gold found a piece of its target. It scraped up the side of Raiden's face, opening a large gash that would never heal right. It traced from his lip, straight up to his left eye. In time, the eye would fail and its blue turned to the murky shade of spoiled milk.

The second important thing was that Raiden did not go to the Twilights. He instead fled to the mountains, much as the Lost Lovers had done before him. As the Twilight on the mountain had said, Raiden would have been honored, for he could have stayed, but left. As it was, he chose to stay……. But powerful pawns do not remain pawns for long. Already the Shifter was searching for him.

He would remain in those mountains for a long, long time.


	54. In Which Nothing Happens

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd

Chapter Fifty-four: In Which Nothing Happens

* * *

Raiden would remain in those mountains for a long, long time. 

When he did return, sometime later, the positions in the Valley has changed somewhat. The Shifter's forces had spread out, searching for the Stallion of the Mountains. The Sentinels were hard at work keeping tabs on all of them, while the main Celestial army was hard pressed for fighters.

* * *

When he did return, he did not return all at once. He did it slowly.

* * *

There was a Twilight who swore he was a black Unicorn at a stream, thought it was Arioch, looked back later, and saw a wall of water heading towards him. Another swore he was stalking the Mare, only to discover that she was stalking the Stallion of Mountain, who in turn was stalking the Twilight. Another Twilight saw a black Sentinel on a cliff, made to approach, remembered the tales, and left the Unicorn alone. Unsurprisingly, this Twilight was the only one who made it back to the base unscathed. 

The Celestials had their stories too, pretty much the same, except they weren't looking for Raiden (who wanted _him_?) and they thought they were following a Twilight, perhaps even Moloth or Arioch. They told how he would call the rocks on the tops of the mountains down to cover his trail; or changed the shape of the rocks themselves to hide entrances to caves. They spoke of how a river would dry up to let him pass, then flow just as strongly after he passed.

* * *

But he did return eventually.

* * *

When he returned he was greeted by Lorn, who led her rickety foal to meet his father. The colt, Arhennus by name, looked upon his father for one of thefew times in what would a long, long life. Raiden's stay in the herd was brief, for already Solaris was on the move. One his way back to the mountains, he was confronted by the Mare. 


	55. Queen Me

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd  
Chapter Fifty-Five: Queen Me

**

* * *

EDMUND:** This is the excellent foppery of the world, that,  
when we are sick in fortune,--often the surfeit  
of our own behavior,--we make guilty of our  
disasters the sun, the moon, and the stars: as  
if we were villains by necessity; fools by  
heavenly compulsion. 

_--King Leer, Act I, Scene i_

* * *

On his way back to the mountains, he was confronted by the Mare. The Mare of the Mountain, as she had been called for several years, met with The Stallion of the Mountains and led him to a cave, known to few, visited by only the Mare. There is deep magic in the mountains, and wherever liveth strangeness, so doth the Mare. And Raiden is the epitome of strangeness…sired by water, raised by flame, born of earth. In time, he could come to inherit the powers of all; indeed he already had the mountain's magic and the fire's temper. 

In another life, he would have been Dreamspeaker. In separate timeline, he would have ruled the Celestial Herd. In a different reality, he would have been the savior of his people.

But Unicorns only have one life and this is not another timeline

In this life, he was a pawn who had just been queened.


	56. Blood

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd  
Chapter Fifty-Six: Blood

* * *

Blood is thicker than water, but love is thicker than blood.  
--**Garth Brooks**

Home is the place where, when you have to go there, They have to take you in.  
**--Robert Frost**

* * *

The Heir of the Mountain came to Mare. And the Mare took the stallion of night and transformed him. No longer would Raiden, Stallion of the Mountains, roam the edge of the Valley. For the heir of Fire, Mare, and Water has come into his own. That land is patrolled by the Stallion of the Waterfall. For at the center of this Stallion's power lies a single pool whose floor is littered with jet black stones. A pool that resides in a cave known to very few and entered by fewer. A cave, that, once central to the Valley, retreated beneath rock and stone, so as to be accessible to only those with the magic of he earth. 

Many strange things litter the floor of this second dream pool. There is a bed, a table, and a nest. There is the pool itself, plus a variety of gems – the diamonds and rubies, mostly, of the Unicorns who once sought refuge there. There are the words of a deadly prophecy, cast inside an eight pointed star through a combination of blood, magic, and brute strength. And engraved stiffly into the floor, as if with a horn, is one, single, solitary set of bloodlines. It is long – over a dozen generations in length- but only the name at the end is important. For it is who Raiden is, in blood.

There's a funny thing about bloodlines – and families in general. Most of the time, you can run away from them. A lot of the time, the present is stronger than your past. Some of the time, the bonds that aren't by blood are the strongest. But all of the time, once they call to you, you must return – even if you bring a little bit of who have become with you.

ORCINUS X THE MARE  
l  
V  
RAIDEN


	57. Check

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd  
Chapter Fifty-Seven: Check

Farwell, a long farewell to all my greatness!  
This is the state of man: today he puts forth  
The tender leaves of hope, tomorrow blossoms,  
And bears his blushing honours thick upon him:  
The third comes a frost, a killing frost,  
And –when he thinks, good easy man, full surely  
His greatness is a-ripening-nips his root,  
And then he falls, as I do.

_--King Henry VII, _Act III, Scene ii

And you got eternity to think about what'd you do with it…. what did you do with it.

--Tim McGraw, _Live Like You Were Dying_

If you had told Mulciber on dawn of that morning that he was going to die, he would have laughed. Not just because he had come too far to die. Or because he dealt with death on a daily basis (and therefore no longer feared, he thought) but because of the simple fact that is impossible to kill an Immortals. If you could, he reasoned, wouldn't the Shifter have rid himself of the Mare?

However, it was the day of this morning that Mulciber met Moloth – he of dark coat and ruby eyes and fire blood.

Just as night and day clash in battle to produce dawn and dusk, so two different fires clash to produce fate.

This is the smallest battle of what will become known as the War of the Stars. It is fought only by two unicorns and lasts only as long as the sunset.

But oh, what a battle it is.

-/o

Like all battles that belong to legend and lore, it had a dramatic setting. The pair twisted their way higher and higher up the mountain. Higher and higher, making the sunset stretch out for ages. They leapt over chasms, across gorges, slid down steep inclines with sprays of sparks and gravel.

Like all battles that belong to legend and lore, it was vicious. They both stabbed and sparred and otherwise attempted to mutilate, main, or kill the other.

Like all battles that belong to lore and legend, it was closely matched. Like two twins pushing on opposite sides of a brick wall, neither Moloth nor Mulciber could land that final, killing blow.

Like all battles that belong to lore and legend, there was a victor.

-/o

A single grain of rice may tip the scale.  
One man may be the difference between victory and defeat.

--The Emperor, Mulan

When Achilles was born, his mother, Thetis, tried to make him immortal by dipping him in the river Styx. As she immersed him, she held him by one heel and forgot to dip him a second time so the heel she held could get wet too. Therefore, the place where she held him remained untouched by the magic water of the Styx and that part stayed mortal or vulnerable.

Achilles, the Heel,  
http/www.wordexplorations.info/Achilles-heel-story.html

Mulciber's weakness lies not in size nor strength, not skill, nor speed, nor a thousand other things that can lead to downfall.

His curse is bad luck.

A single grain of rice may tip the scale. A single crack may bring down the wall. A single stone will decide the war.

If you had told Mulciber during the end of the battle that he was going to die, he would have laughed all the harder. After all, he had Moloth beat, backed into a box canyon, at the mercy of the Fire Stallion.

-/o

After all, it was impossible for an Immortal to die.

-/o

All it took was a pebble, small enough to be unconsidered in the large scope of things… All it took was a pebble to wedge between the hoof wall and the precious frog at the foot of the Unicorn. That was all it took to change the victor.

Moloth had resigned himself to death. But like all beings, he yearned to live. So when Mulciber stumbled in pain, Moloth took it upon himself to ensure that _he_ would live another day, not his enemy. He lunged…

-/o

In the end, Mulciber was right – you can't kill an Immortal…he just faded from one world into another…from thought into memory into legend.


	58. What May Be

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd  
Chapter Fifty Eight: What May Be

With great power comes great responsibility.  
--Spiderman

For six months Raiden would use the Black Pool in the forgotten cave. For six months, he would guard its secrets. Only Lorn and the Mare would truly know what he was doing. For Raiden was very busy.

He would use the pool of the present and the future to march into war, to change the courses of battles that were supposed to be surprise routes.

He would use the pool of the past the follow the steps of Arioch and Moloth from the beginning. And what he discovered terrifies him – Moloth and Arioch were not fighting to conqueror, they fighting for something else. Something that chilled him straight to his core, that holy place which breeds hope in its warmth. The idea along froze him in place. It was the sheer possibility of its completion that quenched his fire and then later stirred him into action. Since he knew what the Twilights were after and he knew no one would believe him, he had to do something, or no once would do anything. So he fought all the harder.

But one day, six months to the day after the Stallion of the Mountains was born, something changed.

It was the last time Raiden would ever see to use the pool.

He tapped his horn to the black glassy water.

The image he saw was a battle unfolding, and in the end, the Sun set beyond the mist. A second would rise to take its place, but first would come the night – and this night had no moon.

Raiden pulled back shocked. He was no friend of Solaris, yet he still felt loyal to the herd. Not all had betrayed him. And there was still Lorn, his foal, Gareth….What had the Mare said before? These could be things that were, things that are, things that would be, and things that might be. Surely this was a might be.

But, be it fortunately or unfortunately, this was a would be. Yes, my dear friends, this was a would be, right up to the place of the light in the sky and the horn that struck the blow.

What Is Now and What Will Come  
Reflects that Which Has Been Done,  
Yet What May Be and What Becomes  
Sets upon the setting Sun.


	59. What Becomes

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd  
Chapter Fifty-nine: What Becomes

This Chapter is dedicated jointly to Horselover2323 and Talkofthetowneva4. The original inspiration for The Balinor Chronicles belongs to them and their (highly recommended) fanfictions and ideas. Anyone who has read the first two chapters knows this.

The Blackened Unicorn,  
Origins Unknown  
Told on The Night of the Shifter's Moon

Once upon a long ago  
The was a Valley safe and sweet  
A magic Herd of Unicorns  
Grew and prospered there -  
…They lived among the mountains  
…Which guard the Rainbow Herd.  
There lived a blackened Unicorn  
With eyes of sea-spun blue  
Who forsook the calm sweet coolness  
Of the land he held so dear.  
…He went beyond the Mountains  
…Which guard the Rainbow Herd.  
He wandered far in 'braveness'  
Though he knew not the way  
He didn't know what lurked for him  
What lured him onward still.  
…Further deep into the Mountains  
… Which guard the Rainbow Herd.  
He crossed beyond the Mountains  
And discovered nothing there  
Except for one stark figure  
Who waited, waited still,  
…What lies beyond the Mountains  
…Which guard the Rainbow Herd?  
He crossed beyond the Mountains  
And what did he find there:  
A man made out of skeleton;  
A horse wrought of solid white--  
…They lurk behind the Mountains  
… Which guard the Rainbow Herd.  
So when he crossed the Mountains  
And Death was all he found  
So the little blackened Unicorn  
Wept in fear and grief;  
…But he stayed beyond the Mountains  
… Which guard the Rainbow Herd.  
He looked into the eyes of Death  
And he confessed his life  
His hopes; his fears; his dreams; his dreads  
He gave it all to Death.  
…So they spoke beyond the Mountains,  
… Which guard the Rainbow Herd.  
And the little blackened Unicorn  
Knew what he feared most  
But still he held the eyes of Death  
And Death returned his glare.  
…He delayed beyond the Mountains  
… Which guard the Rainbow Herd.  
He found the truest bravery  
And measure of oneself  
Lies in facing what you fear  
So Death had no more need for him  
…Though both dwelt beyond the Mountains  
… Which guard the Rainbow Herd.  
The little blackened Unicorn  
Journeyed back to home  
He began a long eternity  
Of life lived without a fear  
…He left the shadowed Mountains  
… Which guard the Rainbow Herd.  
But what remains for he  
That saw and vanquished Death:  
A lonely life of nothingness  
Cur-sed Immortality.  
…He ne'er roamed beyond the Mountains  
…He stayed beside the Rainbow Herd.  
So if you crave adventure  
Heed the blackened Unicorn  
He went searching but to find  
The thing nightmares adore  
…Death….  
…Death lives beyond the Mountains  
…Which guard the Rainbow Herd.

The Evening of Mulciber's death, Raiden returned to the Celestial Herd. After all, someone had to warn them of Mulciber's death, since Moloth would hardly do it himself.

The Herd was covered in darkness, but most awoke when Raiden approached. It's kind of hard not to notice when your worst enemy, a Twilight, comes wandering in. Raiden ignored them; instead, he started up the slope that would lead to Solaris' cave. The Herd unwittingly fell into the Rainbow behind him. Still the lone black Unicorn climbed the hill; and he was not unduly surprised when Solaris appeared on his outcrop of rock.

"Solaris, you hate the very sight of me. No, don't object, we all know you do. But hear me out. For I bear you word of Mulciber."

"And what of him?" Solaris asked, feeling he was once again on the edge of one of those bottomless pits. "What of Mulciber, King of Fire?"

"I regret to say that he had joined his brothers."

"Murderer."

Raiden glared at the Golden One. "Not I…. Not him at least. I do not deny that I have killed, but Mulciber was slain by no horn of mine."

"No," Solaris sneered, his voice condescending. He moved off of his rock and…stalked – that was the only word for it, Raiden thought, and stalked toward the black Unicorn. "No, you didn't kill him. You just watched and waited for your Twilight friends to do their jobs."

Still the Herd behind the two remained silent, watching the showdown between the two giants among Unicorns. Raiden's only defense was himself, and he grew bitter with regret.

"I would never kill any of this Herd," he all but spat in Solaris's face.

Solaris leapt at his opportunity. "Ah, the Twilights, they were of this Herd, yes?"

"You can't have it both ways, Solaris."

"Oh?"

Raiden chose to ignore Solaris's last comment. "And I offer you congratulations, Solaris."

Solaris paused. Another giant pit. "For what, may I ask?"

"For destroying your Valley."

"I have done that as much as that foal yonder has."

"No. You have brought destruction upon it. By allowing the evils that entered it to remain. And by fighting a war in which there was no chance of winning. And what happens, Solaris of the Sun, when you loose?"

Solaris paused, gazing out over his Valley. He walked down the slope and began circling Raiden, silently challenging him. "There are other places than these - the world of Arioch, for starters, and then hundreds of others. We don't even have to leave here. We can just go beyond the mountains."

Raiden spoke with the conviction of one older and wiser than his years. "There is nothing for you beyond the Valley. Only Death waits there." He paused. Solaris was still orbiting him. "Were you a vulture in your first life? 'Cause you keep circling like one."

"A vulture?" Solaris' voice had a slight chuckle in it. If such things existed, the chuckle could've been compared to a lawyer who just proved a key witness suffered from hallucinations. "A vulture? First you accuse us of foolishness and stupidity, and _then_ you gibber on about rubbish?"

"Vultures live in the Mortal Realms. They feed on the flesh of the dead and the dying. Worse waits for you beyond the Valley."

"How-?"

Raiden cuts Solaris off in mid-sentence. "I have seen it." He twists his head so he can glare at the remaining Elemental, and his solitary blue eye can do more damage than six from any other Celestial. "Death waits on the other side of the mountains. I have stared it in the eye, and I have passed unscathed. Will you, Solaris, be able to do the same?"

Raiden's question goes unanswered. He keeps his back to Solaris as he speaks again, his voice steady and measured and hardly above a whisper. "I have come to warn you. Use it. Or discard it. Do however you wish. I wash my horn and soul of it." Raiden turned and began to leave, the sea of Rainbow Unicorns splitting as a true sea would have before Moses.

And like said Moses, the Pharaoh came charging after him.

Raiden retreated. Solaris lunged. But the Raiden Solaris now fought was not the same Raiden he had chased away some six months earlier. This Raiden was hardened, battle scarred, wiser and more sure of his convictions – and at the moment so frustrated with Solaris that the blackened Unicorn would not hesitate in striking a killing blow. _Alas Alas!_

Solaris was merely fighting for his honor. Raiden was fighting for eternity.

Those who know not better say that brains always beat brawn. They lie, however unwittingly.

Solaris is still is still Elemental. He still has the brute strength over Raiden. He is still King. He is still the Sun….

Raiden is not any of those. He is a Sentinel, yes, and direct son of an Elemental. But his blood is a mishmash of Fire and Water and Earth. He is only Unicorn…

In the eyes of those who watch, namely Lorn and the still young Arhennus, who still know s naught of his heritage, they see a tragic case of déjà vu flash before their eyes.

Déjà vu in a mirror – for this time Solaris scores a chance on the other eye – the one still the shade of sea-spun blue, the one still true to sight.

And Raiden ran.


	60. Check and Mate

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd  
Chapter Sixty: Check and Mate

**First Witch**: When shall we three meet again  
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?  
**Second Witch**: When the hurlyburly's done,  
When the battle's lost and won.  
**Third Witch**: That will be ere the set of sun.  
--_Macbeth_, Act I, Scene i

Everything dies. In time, even stars burn out.  
--Revenge of the Sith(book version), _Matthew Stover_

See Solaris.  
See Solaris fight.  
Fight, Solaris, fight!

See Solaris Trip.  
See Solaris Die.

-/o

In the end, it was Moloth. It always was. Moloth was always the last to flee a battle, the last to leave Arioch's side, the last one standing at the end of the day. It always ended with Moloth.

Eventually, the fire grows too low for its coals. The strongest tree in the forest rots from the inside, and falls, defeated by time. The mountains are beaten down by wind and rain. Even the stars burn out.

And in this battle, only Moloth would be left.

The Battle for the Life of Solaris was a combination of the deaths of the Elementals. Like Orcinus', it was an ambush, like Aeoleus' no one intended for it to happen. Like Terrenus', the killing blow was from Moloth and in the end Moloth was injured, if only in spirit, not flesh. Like Hephaestus', it was fought in the mountains, and like Mulciber's, a single mistake lost the battle. Like all of them, it was viewed by a Unicorn whose coat was darker than even Moloth's.

As Solaris chased Raiden from the Herd, the former in a frenzy, the latter with blood pouring down his face, _again_, Raiden aimed for the land he knew better than any Elemental. That land beyond the Valley. Raiden had challenged Death and won, Solaris – well, that was yet to be seen. And as Raiden ran, the mountains whispered to him, told him where he was and where he ought to go. There, the gravel meant this – and the scrape of hoof on rock can only be found here, so he needed to jump the boulder in front of him. So he ran, not needing his eyes, which might betray him to slight depression in the ground, but using his heart, which lived and breathed for the mountains.

As they ran, neither noticed the Twilight and his master. Nobody noticed Twilights when they didn't want to be noticed – years of fighting the Celestials have taught them how to sneak around.

Raiden didn't need his sight to know what had happened. After all, he had _already_ seen it in the black Pool of Dreams. Anyway the mountains themselves spoke to him, telling him what was real and what was not. The realness was that Solaris died, as his brothers had done before him. The realness was that Raiden, who wanted to help, was blocked at every advance – not by Moloth or Arioch, as was expected, but by none other than Solaris. Solaris, who judged by Raiden's coat and not his heart, sealed his own death. He didn't even need to search beyond the mountains – he had found it in the Valley.

In the end, it was Moloth who stayed. Raiden, abandoned by his kind and imprisoned by his sight, ran off into the sunset, Arioch, full of glee, flew off to boast of the Twilight's victory.

-/o

In the end, it was Moloth who mourned what had been lost.


	61. The Rising of the Sun

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd  
Chapter Sixty-one: The Rising of the Sun

And so it was the Solaris, King of Sun, vanished. And it came that Solaris's favorite Sun, Arkim, took his father's place to rule the Stars. And it happened that the great battle of dawn and dusk, good and evil, black and white, was over.

-/o

For now.

-/o

Alas, Alas for shade of light  
Whose favored brilliance forms the night.  
Alas, Alas, for shade of day  
Whose blinding light obscures the way.


	62. The Stallion of the Waterfall

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd  
Chapter Sixty-Two: The Stallion of the Waterfall

Do not stand on my grave and weep;  
I am not there. I do not sleep.  
I am a thousand winds that blow.  
I am the diamond glints on snow.  
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.  
I am the gentle autumn's rain.  
When you awaken in the morning's hush,  
O I, the swift uplifting rush  
Of quiet birds in the circled flight.  
I am the soft stars that shine at night.  
Do no stand at my grave and cry;  
I am not there. I did not die.  
--_Anonymous_

When shall I be dead and rid  
Of the wrong my father did?  
Oh long, how long, till spade and hearse  
Put to sleep my mother's curse?  
--T.H. White, _The Queen of Air and Darkness_

-/o

Death lies on the other side of the mountains. But what remains for the one that stared death in the eye and lived? What remains for he who defeated the Pale Rider, and yet has no place among his own people?

-/o

Raiden, carefully, using the cave that he had so long ago memorized, used his pool to open a door. It was similar to the one that Arodousna and Mellifer had used and as powerful as the door of Acheates and Adonis. Except that this door would shut behind him.

At this point, Raiden, who had died to become The Stallion of the Mountain, died once again. This time, he would become The Stallion of the Waterfall, the very merging of Water and Earth and Mountain. He would rule what little he could claim as his own with the temper and passion of Fire – And he would never, ever, ever, forgive the line of the Sun, who had cast him from his home, nor the line of Night, who condemned his valley to Death and Time and Hate. And when one is rejected by Death itself, you can hold grudges for a very long time.

-/o

Raiden never looked back as he left the Valley for the last time. There was no reason to. He could not see, and there were none behind him.

-/o

The story of Raiden was forgotten, buried in legend and myth. The only tale that remained of him was caught in rhyme and prophecy. The Raiden that is spoken of is a traitor to blood and color, begrudging those who betrayed him in return. He is known as what he had become, and not what he was. Perhaps such is the curse of all heroes.

-/o

Red, Yellow, Orange, Green  
Not all things are as they seem.  
Blue, Indigo, Violet, Brown,  
Does the Sun deserve the crown?  
Black is nothing, all is white –  
Right is wrong and left is right.  
Sired by water, raised by flame  
Who can say who is to blame?  
Those who walk first follow last  
Guarding secrets forgot and passed.  
Blind see true and eyes will fail  
But none now live who know his tale.  
One of Dark who hailed the Sun  
Saw them vanish one by one.  
Lord of Shadow blamed for Night,  
Refused to run with Herd Twilight  
He shall rule beside his queen,  
O'er Earth and Sea and In-Between  
Ally to none, feared by all  
Stallion of the Waterfall


	63. To Err and To Forgive

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd  
Chapter Sixty-Three: To Err and To Forgive

This Chapter is dedicated to Parish Amry, who helped start a fashion trend at camp by joining me as an Orc bearing the White Hand of Saruman. Long story, don't ask. Let's just say she earned this.

AN: Moloth's series of taunts to Arkim are (partly) copyright of John Donne, from his poem 'An Anatomy of the World'. Any writings by him have been left in their original spelling, hence the archaic-ness.

When words fail, wars begin…  
When wars finally end, we settle our disputes with words.  
--_Wilfred Funk_

_-/o_

It was day. Officially. The Rainbow had greeted the sun – only the sun was not Solaris, it was Arkim, who paused on the outcropping of rock from which his father before him and now, he, had greeted the Herd. Arkim paused, wind blowing his mane and tail theatrically, admiring his Herd, when a mar appeared in its color.

Arkim stood on the outcrop, looking down as Moloth approached. The Twilight walked with his head high, the thick, intimidating, Mulciber-given scar the only indication of his former mishap with Elementals. His words were addressed to Arkim, but were loud enough for those nearby to hear. He spoke with a certain smugness in his voice, "And new Philosophy calls in all doubt, The Element of fire is quite put out."

Arkim eyed the Twilight, uncertain of his intentions. "And what need would the shadows have for fire, dare I ask?"

Moloth replied with a cocky grin. "The Sun is lost, and th' earth, and no mans wit Can well direct him where to looke for it."

"You fool no one, Moloth. They are dead, not hostages to be bartered for. State your wishes, or suffer the Sentinels." At those words, what was left of the Sentinels all shifted their weight for charging.

Moloth continued unperturbed. "And freely men confesse that this world's spent… I ask only to leave. That is all we ever wanted, after all."

To err is human; to forgive, divine.

Arkim was only mortal after all. And even Solaris had been tempted in his time. So the Sun need not reply to Moloth's query, for the latter knows what the answer is. He walks off proudly, talking to no one all the while, "They seeke so many new; then see that this Is crumbles out againe to his Atomies. 'Tis all in peeces, all cohaerance gone; All just supply, and all Relation." His last words floated back on the wind to Arkim's ears.

"And in these Constellations arise New starres, and old doe vanish from our eyes…"


	64. And So

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd  
Chapter Sixty-Four: And So

And so the Twilights left the Celestial Valley.

And so they traveled with Arioch and Moloth, their only leaders left, to the land of the Fiery Fields, the seat of power of the Shifter Lords.

And so it was, that the coats of the Twilights, tinted by the fires of their souls and the ash of the Fields, completed their darkenings, and remained forever black. Their jewels, once the glittery gems that bedeck the world, reverted, as all things do, to their natural state. And all things return to carbon. Not the pressure treated sparkly baubles that grace necks, but rather the tough, powdery, industrious coal, upon the back of which the great nations arose. All things flowed to black in the end.

And so it was that the line of Moloth flowered as strength won mates; and so it was that all of his line bore the burning eyes of the Fire line.

And so it was that the Twilights rose to power.

And so it was the Shadows were born.

And so it was that the first game of the Deskman and the Intruder was over. But who, I beg ye, won?


	65. Dreamspeaker

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd.  
Chapter Sixty-five: Dreamspeakers

This Chapter dedication, the last of many, is for Armrest/RebelSoulObedientMind – She keeps changing her penname, so that will have to work for now. She earns twice because she put up with me that long day at the beach, brainstorming a fanfiction for a story she hadn't read, and unwittingly invented the Unicorn that both became Cypress, the Lord of the Trees and Eternitus, the Lord of Fate.

_-/o_

Eventually there came a time in which not all could use the pools of sight. Only one.

The first of these was not one of the fillies of Barikah, nor one of the colts of Panthera. This new unicorn was of no relation to any who had seen before, for this new line would not be passed by blood; that was what crowns and thrones were for. Rather, this line would run through magic; mistress to apprentice.

The first of this line was Weaver, who wove dreams and spoke to Mortals. In this new time of single matings, she was the mate of Astrum the second son of Arkim (as Acheates was dead in Balinor). Weaver's apprentice, Songdance was of no relation to either until she mated with the only colt of Astrum and Weaver.

And in such way is all tradition started.

_-/o_

Except then there was another. His line was passed by blood, marked by coats that ranged toward darkness. Within time the foundation sire was forgotten, condemned to the legends of the Sentinels and the Twilights, of the Elementals and Moloth, of Arioch and the Mare. But the others lived on. And so did the sire. But that is another tale for another night.


	66. So Ends

The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd  
Chapter Sixty-six: So Ends

So ends the account of the Unicorns who were blessed by a god, fought by a demon and saved by a sacrifice. So end the tales of the Elements that became a Rainbow which was broken and bonded again by the curse of Twilight. So ends the story that spanned thousands of years from the lost lovers to the forgotten fighters to the condemned lives of the Shadow Unicorns.

But, as in all fables, the Curse of The Wayward Prince and that of Arioch did come true. As in all sagas, the Heirs of The Shadows and of The Celestials play a part in what is yet to come. As in all fairy tales, the offspring of a loyal stallion managed to persevere in a herd, as the stallion himself managed to survive on his own. And as in all bedtime stories, the chapter you heard now is only a small part of the entire legend.

But what happened to the unicorns and men that followed after is another story altogether. It is told, like all tales, on The Night of the Shifter's Moon, and is recorded in The Balinor Chronicles.


End file.
